Come Back to Me
by TwilightBEL
Summary: He sacrificed life in the present... to find love in the past. Edward becomes entranced by the smile of a young woman he sees in a photo taken over 70 yrs ago. Full/Extended Version of my one-shot Somewhere In Time. ExB AU/AH
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hello Everyone!! For those of you who don't know, this started out as a one-shot entry for the Steamy Movie Crossover Contest held by The Three Smutketeers. It's my first attempt at writing ANYTHING since high school over 15 years ago and I went a little nuts. The story just kind of ran away from me. After 20,000 words, I decided to set it aside and write a real one-shot for the contest before the deadline was up! I had hopes of returning and polishing this epic 'one-shot' and turning it into a chapter story. Enough of you asked for the extended version so I got to work on it. Thank you guys SO much for your reviews and the encouragement to finish this fic. It really meant a LOT to me that you guys cared to write. ((HUGS))**

**A/N: The movie I used for this crossover was the 1980 film Somewhere In Time starring Christopher Reeve (Yes, Superman!) and Jane Seymour (Yes, Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman!). I didn't realize how well this movie would mesh with Twilight until I started writing. I hope you like it!**

**One more thing:****The music from the movie, and subsequently this fic, is from Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (18th variation). It's a BEAUTIFUL piano piece and I highly recommend listening to it. It's perfectly Edward!**

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**Prologue**

**EPOV**

It's done.

I've _finally_ done it. Here I am, 23 years old and I have just finished my first concert. _All_ my own compositions. This night heralds the beginning of an amazing career. _If I'm lucky._ I've worked _so hard_ for this.

My euphoria is somewhat dampened by what I am about to face. I pause for a moment to take some steadying breaths before I walk through the doors that lead into Emmett's apartment. The noise coming from the other side of the door gives me the impression that the place is packed. It's by no means a small apartment for the city, it's actually quite large. He inherited it when his Grammy passed because there is _no way_ a recent college grad could afford anywhere _near_ this square footage near downtown. Emmett is my self-appointed manager and he let us all know that there was no way in _hell_ that anyone was going to throw my after-party but him -and it'd be nowhere but at his place. Emmett's motto is: Work Hard, Play Harder.

While I pace in the hall a bit, gathering my nerves for what lies on the other side of those doors, my phone rings. I look at the Caller ID. _Shit!_

"Hey Em?" I wince as I try and sound excited but it comes out as a question. _Smooooth, Masen._

"Where the hell are you, Edward?" His voice booms so loud I hear it in stereo; on the cell and through the door.

"I'm… in the building," I answer him and run my hands through my hair. "I had some trouble parki-"

"Save it," he interrupts. "Get your candy ass in here, man" And with that the doors fly open and Emmett is there with a big grin on his face. "You deserve this Edward. The work is done and you did good. Now it's time to play, my friend." He claps me on the back and drags me inside.

The guy's been my friend for about as long as I can remember. Em's a walking ball of fun and sometimes it's hard to believe that he actually graduated near top of his class at Northwestern. He keeps me from being consumed by my own intensity. Like now. I really don't feel like a party. I'm not the unwinding kind of guy. If it weren't for Emmett, I'd probably be back at my cracker box of an apartment toiling over my keyboard already. Instead, Emmett shoves a glass of champagne into my hand and takes me by the elbow leading me around the room.

He amazes me. The after-party has the feel and look of a hoity toity reception one would expect after a piano concert but it has the spirit of a frat house kegger. Emmett even has a burned CD of me at the piano playing in the background. _Nice touch, Em!_ He takes me from person to person so they can all get to know the 'man behind the music' for their reviews or articles. Emmett must have called every newspaper, magazine, music producer and record label for tonight. What amazes me further is, he seems to know everyone by name. _I can't believe that I have respected critics shaking my hand and clapping my back telling me what a bright future I have._ My mind is spinning as so many faces and names get thrown at me so fast from all directions. I can't believe it. Just to have the opportunity to perform my own pieces like this at my age is amazing -and they _loved_ it. The champagne is flowing and spirits are high.

I've been here a while now and most of the critics have gone home, or to the office or wherever, to write up their thoughts on the evenings music and it's composer. All that's left behind are friends from school and probably some people who came in off the street. It's much less hoity toity now. The atmosphere is changing quickly and I'm expecting to see Emmett roll a keg out of the pantry and start distributing red solo cups now that the 'stiffs' are gone. It's getting pretty loud in here, so when a hushed quiet starts to form on my right, I notice and I turn curious to see what has everyone's interest. There appears to be someone heading this way as I can see people stepping back to let whomever it is through. As they draw closer, I'm surprised to see a frail elderly woman pushing her way through our small crowd in the corner. She seems very out of place here –I don't think that there's anyone else in here that's over thirty. I don't recognize her but she seems very determined to see me.

Once she reaches me, I'm stunned silent as she looks longingly into my eyes. She reaches her soft aged hand up to cup my jaw and begs in a desperate whisper, "Come back to me." She then presses something small and warm into my hand and turns away to be folded back into the crowd. Emmett, of course, makes a comment about how my first groupie is an octogenarian. I would laugh if it weren't for the unshed tears I saw in her eyes.

I open my hand and am surprised to find a beautiful antique pocket watch.

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**Review Pretty Pretty Please! :o)**

**A/N: I hope you liked the intro. I don't have a beta yet so please forgive my errors. If you see any mistakes, please feel free to let me know. I'm going to have the next chapter up soon. I know the prologue is a bit short but I promise the other chapters will be _much _longer. :o)**

**Also, I have a bit of a request. I was hoping to hear from those of you who have seen the movie. Let me know how it compares as we go, OK? A lot of the dialogue is straight from SIT. I peppered in as many Twilight twists and characters as I could. What do you think??**


	2. The Grand

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**Disclaimer: Twilight and Somewhere in Time are not mine.**

A/N: Hello again! Thanks for the reviews!! I really appreciate it. I felt kind of bad for those of you who have been waiting for CBTM to start and all I gave you was a tiny little prologue… so, I'm posting CH1 way ahead of schedule. LOL See what your reviews do to me?

**Enjoy!!**

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**Chapter 1: The Grand**

**EPOV**

I sit and stare blankly at the smooth keys, my hands hovering and fingers poised to play. The music is there. I can almost hear it. My fingertips are itching to play but nothing comes. The blank sheets of music sitting on my piano mock me and my pencil lays untouched. _Dammit!_ I stand up from my piano abruptly and stride across the room. I'm feeling very agitated right now and even work isn't helping. I can't seem to get past this block.

I lean against the mantle and pick up the photo closest to me. Emmett and I, arms slung over each other's shoulders, toasting with champagne flutes lifted high. It was taken at Em's apartment that night after my first concert. It was the turning point in both our careers. I definitely couldn't have done any of this with out Emmett. He has been the driving force behind my success. It's been eight years since that night and I am in high demand. My music is more than moderately popular and I couldn't be happier with my professional life. On top of releasing a well received CD of my piano compositions, I've collaborated on the score for several movies, won awards and I have the respect of my peers. It doesn't mean as much as it used to. I have no one to share my success with.

I return the photo to its place on the mantle and my eyes drift to the next frame. It's of Emmett and I again, arms slung over each other's shoulders, toasting with champagne flutes lifted high. Only this time there is a beautiful blond in a wedding gown tucked under Em's tuxedo clad arm, clinging to his side with her arms wrapped possessively around his waist. Even Emmett has found someone. Seeing Emmett and Rosalie together only intensifies the emptiness I feel. I am happy for my friend but I envy him.

So. Much.

I see the way Rose looks at him, like she's this puzzle that's finally found its missing piece and, amazingly, he looks at her the same way. It saddens me that the closest I've ever felt to seeing that kind of intensity directed towards me is the night I received the pocket watch. To see Rosalie and Emmett looking at one another, sharing such a moment, reminds me of how truly alone I am in this world. My loneliness reminds me of the elderly woman. Her words haunt me. And so, I take the small gold watch from my pocket and place it atop my piano and begin to play the sad slow notes I play nearly every night before turning in. I play _her_ song. The lullaby I wrote for the lonely old woman with tears in her eyes. It's a small comfort.

When I wake in the morning, I grab an empty duffel from my closet and start packing. I am determined to get out of this funk I find myself in. I am getting desperate for a break and I could really use some time away from the pressure. I just want some peace and reevaluate my life. I need a vacation.

I palm my cell as I exit the elevator, nodding to the doorman. I take a deep breath and dial Em before I enter the garage. I have a hard time explaining my reasons to Emmett. He's even busier than I am with trying to manage my career and raising a family.

_A family_.

The envy I feel worsened three years ago with the birth of his girls. They named the twins Emma and Roselyn. I can still hear how he laughed when they brought the girls home and he realized that they now have two Ems and two Roses in the house –that they didn't think that one through too well. My smile hurts. It's so cute it makes me want to die. _I am happy for my friend_, I have to keep reminding myself. I just find it too hard to be around him anymore outside of work. I tell Emmett that I plan to travel aimlessly. Just me and my Volvo. I will just drift and get some real R and R. I'm already in the Volvo speeding out of the city so it gives him no chance to change my mind. He tells me he hopes I find what I'm looking for. _Me, too._

About seven hours out of Chicago, I find myself at The Grand Hotel in Michigan. It looks as good a place as any to start my sabbatical. A very elderly bellhop helped me to my room. I actually had to politely argue with him to carry my own bag. Later, as I waited for the dining room to open, I found myself in the lobby making friends with the old man. He introduced himself as Jasper and told me that he has been working at the hotel for going on eighty years now. He started out at the age of six helping his mother in the kitchens while his father worked the desk. Jasper said that he never felt the need to leave. The hotel even dropped a pretty little wife in his lap as a young man so he stays, giving back to the place that has been so good to him his whole life. I can't help but be calmed by the man's words. I just seem to feel at home here, at peace. It's hard not to fall in love with the place instantly.

Two days into my stay, I come upon a museum of sorts on the main floor of the hotel while waiting for the dining hall to open for lunch. The plaque outside the room states it to be The Hall of History. There are antiques in display cases and framed newspaper clippings and brochures, photos of the way the rooms used to be and portraits displayed on each wall. It appears to be a look into the hotels past. Jasper sees me and joins me in the little room pointing out a few things of interest. He seems to have been here for most of it. There is even a photo of him as a much younger man working the desk and checking in a famous movie star. I comment on the beautiful actress, how she looks like she is just stepping off the red carpet instead of checking into a hotel. He informs me that he didn't really take much notice at the time being that he was an extremely happily married man at that point. I see the content smile on his face. The envy is back. I turn away from him …and see a face that takes my breath away.

Jasper sees me take interest in the portrait. He identifies her as the stage actress Isabella Swan who once starred in a play held at the hotel theater. She was talented and quite famous. Her last performance was held at the hotel and he was lucky enough to see it. He said he was always thankful for Miss Swan coming to The Grand. His late wife, Alice, worked for Miss Swan as her maid. When Miss Swan suddenly retired, Alice took work at the hotel which allowed Jasper to woo her.

I'm having a hard time listening to Jasper. I find myself completely enamored with the shining eyes in the portrait. Her hair looks so soft piled in relaxed curls on top of her head. Her smile seems shy yet so genuine. It's hard to tell since it's not a color photograph but she almost appears to be blushing. She seems to just radiate love.

That's it.

The look.

The one I feel like I've been waiting my whole life for. And it is trapped in a photograph taken almost 70 years ago.

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A/N: Please remember to R&R and tell me what you think!


	3. Miss Isabella Swan

**Disclaimer: Twilight and Somewhere in Time are not mine.**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for the reviews, favs and alerts. It really says a lot when you take the time to write me a quick review. I really appreciate it.**

**Enjoy!

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**Chapter 2: Miss Isabella Swan**

**EPOV**

_Who _is_ Isabella Swan?_ I am becoming obsessed with her portrait. I spend countless hours every day trying, often unsuccessfully, to avoid returning to the little room so I can once again get lost in her eyes. I have every tiny detail memorized. Every eyelash, every freckle, every soft tendril of her hair framing her face, the small curve of her ear, the arch of her brow and the curve of her lips… I need to know more. Taking one last look into her eyes, I pull my keys from my pocket and head out to do some research.

At the large local library I pour through archives searching for her name in dusty old books and tattered magazines. There is precious little to be learned about the personal life of the one time actress. There are clippings and photos of her during her somewhat brief career but not much is found after the announcement of her sudden retirement. There was an outcry from critics and the public alike over her abrupt departure from stage. Her career and popularity was expected to last several decades.

The most informative reference I find reads: 'Isabella Swan: One of the most revered actresses of the American stage. For many years, she was the box office's greatest draw. Under the guidance of her manager, James Meadows, Isabella Swan was the first American actress to create a mystique in the public's eye. She was never seen in public in her later years. Apparently, with an off stage life of absolute seclusion.' It's not much.

Her obituary is short. She had never married and I can't help but notice that she died the same day of my first big concert. It saddens me to think that, on a night I was celebrating my newfound success, the object of my obsession passed in her sleep. Oddly, I find a vague reference to the actress in a book on space and time written by a Dr. Carlisle Cullen.

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It wasn't much to go on but I look up the doctor anyway. I feel very fortunate to learn that Dr. Cullen works at a nearby University. I talk to him briefly over the phone and he says he would be happy to meet with me. I drive all night just to talk with him. Even after the long drive I still have no idea what to say. As I approach the door and knock, I decide to just try my best to not sound obsessed –like a crazy man who drove all night to beg a stranger for any information on an actress he mentioned briefly in a book he wrote over twenty years ago. _Right._

I arrive at the Cullen estate a bit early in my haste and am greeted by Dr. Cullen's wife. She shows me into their living room where we will wait for Dr. Cullen to return home. As we make small talk, I notice of a rather amazing scale model of a building that appears to be The Grand Hotel.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Cullen, but isn't this The Grand Hotel?" I ask gesturing to the model.

"Please Edward, call me Esme," she smiles and walks over to the model. "You are right, it is The Grand Hotel. It was a prized possession of a late family friend."

"I happen to be currently staying at The Grand. This is an amazing model." I bend down to get a closer look. "The detail is really something. It looks just like the real thing."

Esme tilted back a piece of the roof over the lobby. I was surprised to see that it was hinged and I could see a brass tumbler of a music box inside. "Here let me play it for you."

I am stunned to hear that it plays _her_ song. The lullaby I have never shared with anyone. "I'm sorry, but what piece is it playing?" I really don't know what to make of all this, but I am certain I wrote this piece.

"I'm not sure," Esme answers. "Our late friend, Ms. Swan, had it specially made over fifty years ago. To my knowledge there is no other like it. Even the melody it plays is one of a kind."

_Miss Swan had a music box made of The Grand that plays _my_ lullaby –_before_ I've even written it? What can this mean? _Esme doesn't seem to notice my inner turmoil and lifts up a silver picture frame from the mantle and hands it to me.

Her gentle voice drones on in the background. I can't really hear her anymore over the beat of my thundering heart. I can only see the picture. It's the woman who gave me the pocket watch. The one who inspired the lullaby. And she has the same fathomless brown eyes that I have stared into for countless hours in the small museum at The Grand.

The elderly woman _is_ Isabella Swan.

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**A/N: Please remember to review. I promise to write everyone back and answer any questions you might have. :o)**


	4. Try, Try Again

**Disclaimer: Twilight and Somewhere in Time are not mine.**

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting, the website has been having some issues and has been telling us all weekend to 'check back in a few minutes'. The good news is I am working on the next chapter now and will post it tomorrow morning if the website allows.**

**Enjoy!!**

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**Chapter 3: Try, Try Again **

**EPOV**

My mind Is reeling with its new discovery when Dr. Cullen comes home and Esme leaves us to talk. Now I know why I'm here. Now I know what questions to ask. Hours pass as Carlisle and I discuss many things. I learn that Ms. Swan sought Dr. Cullen out as a graduate student and helped finish putting him through school and earn his doctorate. She has been funding his research ever since. Often times she had been the only financial supporter of his work. She strongly believed in him and became a close family friend and, when she passed, he was surprised to find that she had left her entire estate to him and his wife asking only that he continue his research.

Before I leave late that night I become well versed in Dr. Cullen's theories on auto-suggestive time travel. He believes that through self-hypnosis, one can travel through time seemingly on faith alone. He was once able to do it himself, he says. He put himself in a relaxed state and focused on the past very intensely. For a flicker in time he believes it to have worked.

It was imperfect. In the room of the past, among the 'antiques', were modern items. He felt that they were what weakened his hypnotic state. He was whisked back into the present and was so exhausted he wasn't sure what would have happened had he been able to stay. The rigors on his body and mind had reached dangerous levels from the hours and hours spent in concentration. So much so that he has no intention of trying it again.

Now that he has Esme, the fear of being separated from her is enough to ensure he would never be able to achieve that kind of focus again. Carlisle is happy to talk at length on this subject. I feel it might have to do with the fact that I am not a skeptic. I want to believe. I have been awake for two days straight but I am too excited to stop now. As I drive home, to the hotel, I begin to make a list of the things I'll need.

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Weeks later, I am ready. I have followed Dr. Cullen's instructions carefully. I think I've become a bit of a nuisance to the coin shops and collectors in the area. They don't understand my need for them to reach out to other shops and have the collectable money sent to me right away. I'm just a crazy new collector suddenly and impatiently obsessed with money from the early 1900's. I've collected as many coins and bills as I could quickly find from that era in as mint condition as possible and today I will pick up my suit. The suit was hard to find. I had to comb many websites to find a vintage suit in new shape from that decade that would actually fit me. I need to make sure not to appear too fashion forward. The vintage clothing dealer assured me over the phone that it was at the height of fashion that year but was no newer than that. I think I will like wearing a hat. I've never had much luck taming my messy bronze hair. I can't help but smile as I think that I'll just have to wear my bowler all the time.

The tailor had me try on the jacket one final time and expressed awe at how much men's fashion has changed. Being a man, I don't see much difference. I have a bowtie and a waistcoat, the cuffs and collar of my shirt are a bit weird, but the rest is similar enough to today's clothes in my eyes. The tailor points out all the neat pockets, some are even hidden. He grabs a penny from the register to demonstrate a small penny pocket to keep an emergency coin or two. "…for back in the day when pennies were actually worth something," he laughs. There's even a spot for a pocket watch. It warms me to think of carrying my gift from Isabella in my 'new' suit on my journey to meet her once again.

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I have failed.

Hours and hours spent in my room at The Grand trying, unsuccessfully, to hypnotize myself back in time. Wasted. I change out of that ridiculous suit and throw on a pair of jeans and a sweater and storm from the room. I find myself, once again, in front of her picture. I don't understand why I am so drawn to her.

Why? Why didn't she talk to me the night of the concert? Why give me the watch and fund a doctor obsessed with traveling through time? She must have known something. My going back to meet her makes sense then, doesn't it? I'm beginning to think that I'm losing touch with reality. What was I thinking? I'm so disheartened. Bracing myself, I lean on the display case below her smiling face and hang my head.

I look upon the hotel registrar displayed beneath the glass for the thousandth time, once again, memorizing her signature. The delicate loops and sweeping strokes of her name penned by her own hand. I notice how, like her portrait on the wall, even her signature stands out among the others on the page. And then I see it. Room 416.

My name.

My _signature_.

The air whooshes from my lungs as I realize the truth. I was _there_.

_I was there_.

With her.

I didn't fail. I just hadn't succeeded.

Yet.

With renewed conviction, I forgo the elevator and sprint up the stairs to close myself in my room. I put my period clothing back on, ready to begin again. Knowing, it's only a matter of time.

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**A/N: Please remember to review and let me know what you think! :o)**


	5. Under the Willow

**Disclaimer: None of it is mine. Bummer... :o(**

**A/N: Thanks for thr reviews guys! They really motivate me. LOL I was able to get this out a little early for you. I will see if I can get the next update by Thursday night. I'm glad you guys are liking it so far.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 4: Under the Willow**

**EPOV**

It worked!

Well, either it worked or I'm having a psychotic break. As I open my eyes I see a room so unlike the one that I was just in. The biggest difference I notice is not the wallpaper or the 'new' antiques. The big difference is that this room is occupied by someone other than me. A female someone. I find myself scrambling to get out into the hall before the woman brushing her hair at the vanity in the adjoining room sees me. I do _not_ need to explain who I am or where I am from to an irate husband…or father…or the police. I don't waste my time looking around. I just head towards the lobby as quick as I can.

Now I can breathe again. There are a several people milling about and, with a feeling of awe, I can't help but notice that everyone is in 'vintage' clothing like me and there are horse drawn buggies stopped in front of the hotel. I really have done it. Now all I have to do is find her.

I quickly check in. I don't want to be escorted off the property since I am not a guest. When the desk clerk hands me the key I can't help but beam at him. Room 416. I sign the registrar and shake my head at myself. This is really happening.

While scanning the lobby of the hotel, I can't help but turn when I hear Jasper's name being called. A young teen with shaggy blond hair and blue eyes appears and gathers luggage and leads new guests away to their room. I smile in passing at my old friend though I won't allow myself to become distracted now. I need to find her.

The first place to try is the most logical, her room. I knock at room 117 with my hat in my hand and butterflies in my stomach. A very short young woman with very short inky black hair answers the door. I ask after Miss Swan and she gives me a peculiar look. Where Isabella is traditional, this woman appears very fashion forward. These two must be quite the pair. She looks my suit up and down and seems to be stifling a giggle. Then she politely tells me that Miss Swan is not in her room and she doesn't know where she is at the moment. I thank her and do my best to excuse myself quickly. Her look is a little too knowing. It's unnerving.

Having searched inside, I leave through the rear doors and take the stairs that lead to the large manicured lawn behind the hotel. The sun is bright and so most of the people are on the shady tree lined path that runs along the beach of the lake. I don't get far when a petite woman leaning against a willow tree just off the path catches my attention. I didn't think that seeing her in the flesh would have this effect on me. My heart drops in to my stomach as I realize that it really is _her_. I need to remind myself to breathe. She appears lost in thought but, as I approach her, she turns to me. I am instantly lost in her large doe brown eyes when she smiles at me. To my shock, I almost run the last several feet to her. Relief must be shining through my smile as I stop short in front of her. She shyly smiles again before raising her hand to cup my jaw.

"Is it you?" She asks with hope in her eyes.

Before I can really think, I respond with a sigh and a smile, "Yes."

It's a strange moment for us both. I can feel the sudden tension crackle in the air between us. She quickly withdraws her hand and takes a step back looking away. I have to remind myself not to be too forward and familiar with her. She doesn't know me and men in the polite society of this time were much more formal.

Elizabeth Masen raised her son to be a gentleman and so I smile and tip my hat to introduce myself. I ask her to take a walk with me but I can see that it's too much. She tells me that she needs to return to the hotel. I offer to escort her back. My heart hammers in my chest when I offer her my arm and she reluctantly takes it. I feel like I am in a dream. I walk as slowly as I can without being too obvious and try my best to engage her in conversation. I have never tried so hard to charm a woman before –I can almost hear Emmett laughing at me.

I can't seem to stop staring at her. Her voice is so much softer than I had imagined. She carries herself with the same grace I recall of her older self. She isn't very tall. If we were to embrace my chin could easily rest on top of her head. Oh, how I want to take her into my arms.

As we walk, I tell her I write music for a living and this seems to excite her. It seems that, when her schedule allows, she loves attending concerts. I explain that I'm a fan but, when she asks what my favorite performance was, I sheepishly admit that I have yet to see one. So, I tell her that I've traveled from very far away just to see her. She blushes. To see that blush in full bloom and in color is almost my undoing. I have to restrain myself from caressing her cheek. She offers me a ticket to see tomorrow's performance and I can't hold back my crooked smile. It's getting late and all too soon her manager collects her so she can get dressed for dinner. It's so hard to hand her over to him. It seems that she has a hard time leaving, too.

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**A/N: Please take the time to review and let me know what you think. Thanks! :o)**


	6. Push My Luck

**Disclaimer: Somewhere in Time and Twilight are not mine... I just introduced them to each other. ;o)**

**A/N: Thanks again to those of you who review every chapter. It gives me a warm fuzzy to hear from you. :o) **

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 5: Push My Luck**

**EPOV**

I had to crash the dinner. I just can't help it. I can see that it's black tie and I know I stick out in my brown suit but I need to see her again. She is dancing with a much older gentleman who, more or less, just rocks her back and forth in place. I cut in abruptly and take her into my arms. I know I'm being somewhat rude to her dance partner but I could be tossed out of here at any second. I don't have much time.

"Mr. Masen, what do you think you're you doing?" She asks, trying to stifle a smile. Thankfully, she seems amused by my antics.

"I'm dancing with you." _Turn on the charm, Masen._ "I couldn't wait to see you again, Miss Swan. I also couldn't pass up the opportunity to hold you in my arms."

She seems flustered. "Well, yes, but we don't even know each other."

"I know everything about you." I tell her sincerely.

"Yes, I'm sure you do," is her short reply.

"What do you mean?" _Dammit. I'm coming on too strong._

"If you will excuse me, Mr. Masen." She's pulling away from me…

…and I panic. "No, no, no… You don't understand," I plead as I try and keep her in the circle of my arms.

"I think I do." She looks away. _I'm losing her._

"No, no. Wait. Please, please don't leave. You have no _idea_… No idea how _far_ I've come just to be with you." If watching Emmett placate Rose has taught me anything, its: _When all else fails, grovel._

Much to my relief she's relaxing back into my arms again. My hopeful smile is rewarded with another blush. I don't think I will ever tire of seeing her ivory cheeks stain pink. It is definitely one of the most endearing sights I have ever seen. She allows me to lead her once again.

"Miss Swan? May I ask… earlier… you asked, 'Is it you?' What did you mean by that?"

Bella pushs her chin upward and stares at a spot over my shoulder. "I don't have to answer that," she answers a bit stiffly.

"I know you don't," I tilt my head to the side trying in vain to keep eye contact. "I wish you would, though," I gently prod.

I can see that she isn't ready to tell me so, I gather her in my arms as close as I dare and begin dancing in earnest, thankful for the lessons my mother forced me into. Bella tries to stop me right away.

"Mr. Masen. Please, I can't really dance." She seems ashamed to admit.

"Don't worry, Bella. It's all in the leading." I wink at her. Yes! Another blush.

We are almost able to complete a full song before her manager steps in with two men and addresses me. They are exceptionally polite but make it very clear that they know I do not belong there and it is time to make my leave. I am about to get escorted out when Bella steps in and makes it clear to them that my presence was not the bother that they have assumed. She then turns to me and takes my arm and walks me toward the lobby to where we can say our farewells. I use this time wisely. I walk away from her with a smile knowing that she has just agreed to let me take her out on the lake tomorrow after her morning rehearsal. I can hardly wait.

I feel as though I am walking on air. As I glide through the lobby on the way to my room her manager pulls me aside and asks to speak with me. As he leads me outside to the quiet porch he formally introduces himself as James Meadows -and that is where the pleasantries end. He doesn't want me around Bella. That much has been made clear by is body language.

"Just where are you from, Masen?" He eyes my suit with disdain. _Sorry. I didn't think to pack a tux._

"Chicago," I answer. "Where are you from, sir?" _Try to remain civil, Edward._

He ignores my question and looks down his nose at me. "I am given to understand that you are a composer."

I nod. "You understand correctly." _Where is he going with this?_

"I'm not entirely unacquainted with American music of the last decade. Perhaps I am familiar with your work?"

I give a quick shake to my head and smirk. "No, I doubt it."

His eyes narrow. "Do you think to further your career by using Miss Swan's contacts in the industry?" _Now we are getting somewhere._

I can see he feels threatened. "You don't really believe that's why I'm here, do you?"

"Why _are_ you here?" He leans in to assess me. "Is it money?" he accuses.

I smirk. "Now, I don't really think you believe that either." I'm not after her fame or fortune and he knows it.

"There is the law, Masen. I warn you that I will not hesitate to make avail of it," Meadows threatens and turns to enter the lobby once again.

"Oh, yes?" I follow him. "On what charge?" I demand. _Is this guy for real?_

He turns back to me with an air of superiority and declares, "This matter is concluded, sir."

"No," I object.

He smirks and gives me a curt nod. "Oh, yes. You may depend upon it," he says with a certain degree of finality and storms across the lobby.

_Great._ I pinch the bridge of my nose and shut my eyes in frustration with a heavy sigh. I really didn't need to piss off the father-figure in Isabella's life. This could be bad.

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**A/N: Please review and let me know what you think. :o) Thanks!!**


	7. Bet on Alice

******Disclaimer: Somewhere in Time and Twilight are not mine... :sigh: **

******A/N: Thanks again for your reviews -even those of you who just say you're happy for the update. I enjoy seeing those of you adding me to alerts and favs but nothing compares to how great to see a review alert in my mailbox and hear what you think. Chapters will get a bit longer. I know I like nice long chapters when I'm reading a good story. :o)**

**I'm working on a new AH/AU story that I've told some of you about already. I'm going to start posting it soon so make sure you have me on author alert if you would like to take a look. The chapters are a whopping five to six thousand words this time. CBTM has been fun to write but it's not my own material and I find that I'm having a LOT more fun writing my own stuff. :o) For everyone who reviews I will send you a teaser of the new story. There's nothing like it on FF, yet. I've looked and I can't find a plot even remotely similar so it's got me very excited. **

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter 6: Bet on Alice

**EPOV**

Today has got to be the best day of my life, _hands down_. Miss Isabella Swan has agreed to spend the better part of her afternoon with me. I can't wait to know her. I can't wait for her to know me. I feel the chemistry there and I pray she feels it, too. I've about nicked myself half a dozen times trying to shave with a straight razor. Thankfully, I've stopped bleeding. I think I've finally got the hang of it now, though. It doesn't help to be completely distracted by a pair of chocolate eyes while holding a straight razor to your own throat.

I meet her in the lobby at the designated time and we head towards the back lawn. It doesn't escape my notice that James Meadows is watching our every step. He doesn't approach us; he just stands off in the background with his arms crossed across his chest not bothering to hide the look of disdain on his face. When I offer her my arm I ask her what his problem is and she shrugs at his attitude. She tells me that he is just looking out for her like he has always done. I cast an ambivalent glance over my shoulder as we exit and take the steps down to the lawn to see him follow us. He strides angrily across the lobby and resumes his stance of disapproval at the railing of the porch. Thankfully, he stops there content to stare daggers at the back of our retreating forms as we continue to walk away from him. I choose to shrug it off, too. I have been waiting all morning to spend time with Isabella and I am not going to let Mr. Meadows sour my mood now. I lead her towards the lake and, once again, do my best to charm her and engage her in conversation.

I have to smile at the vision before me. Isabella Swan sitting in the back of our little row boat twirling her parasol as it lies on her shoulder blocking the suns rays, as the light bounces off the water and dances across her face. We take a break from talking and sit in a comfortable silence as I row our small boat in lazy circles in the lake and enjoy the peace of the moment. Absentmindedly, I begin to hum.

"That's beautiful," she interrupts. "What is it?"

I evade her question. "Do you like it?"

"I like it very much, but I've never heard this piece before."

"You inspired it." I admit with a crooked smile.

Comprehension dawns and I don't think I have ever seen a blush as deep as this. I continue to hum her lullaby in hopes she isn't too embarrassed. She asks about my music. I promise to play for her for her being sure to let her know that nothing would give me greater pleasure. I get to see her blush again. We talk about everything it seems. She tells me how shy she was growing up and that taking to the stage was, at first, just a way to get over being so timid. I explain to her that I began composing music as a way to express myself. I am able to pour all my thoughts and feelings into a piano when the words just seem to failed me.

We return the boat and sit in the shade of a gazebo on the lawn far from the hotel. I tell her I am from Chicago but that I am enjoying a break from work just now since it was getting very demanding of my time. Sadly, I learn that her company is leaving for Denver tonight after this last performance. I choose not to dwell on it and make the most of the time we have together. She relates to me what life is like on the road. She's lonely, too. I tell her that I understand. I focused on my music so much the past decade that I am now left with only my piano to keep me company. We talk for hours. It seems like minutes. It seems like days.

The sun is getting lower in the sky and she asks me the time; she'll need to get ready for the play soon. As excited as I am to see her perform, I resent having to be apart from her. I pull my watch from my it's pocket in my waistcoat and pop it open.

"It's four thirty. I suppose I should get you back soon." I tell her with a sad smile. I close the watch but before I can place it back in it's pocket she gently lifts it from my hand asking permission with her eyes.

She caresses the engravings with her tiny fingers. "It's lovely," she tells me with a soft smile. "Where did you get it?"

My breath hitches to see the watch in her hands, once again. It's a strange feeling not unlike déjà vu. "It was a gift. Someone very special gave it to me and I don't go anywhere without it," I answer her truthfully.

Since it's attached to a watch fob still connected to me, she'll need to lean in closer if she wants to get a better look at the watch. It takes everything in me not to grab handfuls of her hair bury my face in it as the light floral scent surrounds me when she does. She looks up and starts to say something but suddenly realizes how close she is. I stay still as granite, only following her with my eyes, while my arms are screaming to embrace her. Somewhat flustered, she sits back quickly and blushes lightly as she hands the watch back to me with a soft thank you.

It takes a few heartbeats for my head to clear once her warm little hand leaves mine having depositing the watch. I blink as my mind begins to work again and slide it back into its place. I clear my throat as I stand to break the tension and offer her my arm with a smile. "Shall we?" I turn on the charm.

She takes my arm and I lead her along the path. I choose to take a slow pace. I hope she is as reluctant to part as I am. We walk along the very edge of the path as a group of young ladies head our way with someone who appears to be a very sour aunt leading them. The girls seem to size me up with approval, the sour woman seems offended by my attire.

"Ladies," I say in greeting as they pass, tipping my hat and bowing slightly. Embarrassingly enough, I hear giggles and sighs coming from them behind us. I hope Miss Swan doesn't take notice. So, of course, she does.

"You really shouldn't do that to them, Mr. Masen. It's hardly fair." she chided with a critical look.

"And what would 'that' be?" I ask in answer.

"Dazzle them," she replies as if the answer is obvious.

I chuckle at her choice of words. "Do I _dazzle_ you, Miss Swan?" I can't help but smile as I ask.

"Frequently," she says with a soft sigh. She then blushes quite dark adverting her eyes and worries her bottom lip when she realizes just what she has admitted. I chuckle at that and smile at her again.

_I dazzle her._

We are standing in the shade of the willow tree, now. The place where we first met. Being here reminds me to ask her once again. "Miss Swan-" I began.

"Please, call me Bella."

"Bella." I smile getting lost in those deep brown eyes again. "Beautiful. It's very fitting."

"You flatter too much, Mr. Masen," she scolded me halfheartedly.

"Edward," I corrected her.

Nodding her head once she smiles and softly repeats my name with another small blush.

Hoping that she is comfortable enough now to answer, I ask her again about what she meant when she asked me, 'Is it you?' She lifts her chin at that. I could tell that she is trying to be brave and meet my question head on even though she has trouble meeting my eyes.

"I… I was expecting…" her words trail off.

"Me?" _Could she know?_

Another shy smile as her eyes dart away. "Someone," she corrects.

"Who?" I gently prod. "Tell me." I try to put as much 'dazzle' into my smile as I can.

She gently smiles again, embarrassed, and looks away. "I think you'll laugh," She says softly and bites her bottom lip.

"Why?" I flash another smile as I duck my head and try and keep eye contact with her. "Is it funny?"

"In a way…" With a small huff she gives in. "Alice told me you were coming."

"Your maid?" _Jasper's Alice?_

"Yes. She's… well, she's my friend really. She knows somehow. She really does. She knew a lot of things when they happened. My career. My…" She paused and looked me in the eye again. "She told me that I would meet a man during my stay here and… that man… he…Well, he would change my life."

"Is Alice always so perceptive?" I couldn't believe how right she was.

"Over our many years of traveling and working together, I have learned that it is always smart to bet on Alice." Bella smiles. "She is rarely, if ever, wrong."

I couldn't have been happier with her answer.

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**A/N: Please remember to Read and Review and let me know what you think!! Did you like the mesh of the 'dazzle', 'inspired' and 'bet on Alice' lines? Did I go overbored anywhere? Who liked the idea of grumpy James watching with disapproval as Edward led Bella out of the lobby? I don't like him either...**

**Remember, this time I will answer reviews with a teaser to my new upcoming story. **


	8. Strictly Business

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**Disclaimer: Somewhere in Time and Twilight are not mine... still.**

**A/N: Hello, Hello, Hello! I am in a chipper mood! I saved all my reviews so I could reply to them all at once. It was an uplifting experience to read them all in one sitting! I got seven for the last chapter; seven is the most I've gotten for any chapter so far! Being that I'm a newbie writer and this is my first multi chap story, I'm flattered. I just like hearing from you guys. Even if it's just to read 'update soon!' LOL **

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter 7: Strictly Business

**EPOV**

We are back at her room now. It's time to say goodbye. I didn't think it would be this hard. I try not to think that in a few hours she will be packed up and on her way to Denver. I just didn't have enough time with her.

Hat in my hands, I open my mouth but I'm not sure what to say. More than that, though, I'm not really sure what is customary when saying goodbye after the day we've shared.

Bella bites her bottom lips and thrusts her hand out to me awkwardly. "Well, thank you, for a most pleasant afternoon," she says in farewell.

I take her hand and step toward her. "Couldn't we talk for just a little while longer?"

Bella offers an excuse and slowly pulls her hand from mine. "I think I should rest a while. The play…" She seems unsure so, I push farther.

"Please…" _I'm not too proud to beg_. I take a step closer and she is backed up against her door in a sorry attempt to keep some space between us.

She's very torn. She's just standing there worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, like she's afraid to say yes, her hands fidget with her room key.

I hold my breath and implore her with my eyes._ Please, just a little more time with you. I don't want _this_, whatever it is, to end so soon._ _Please!_

She sighs and gives in, "Very well then," and adds, "But just for a moment or so..." She hands me her room key with a small smile and then avoids looking at me as I unlock the door and hold it open for her.

Bella enters the room quietly, hesitantly, and walks over to the foyer table. She sets down her hat and gloves and leans her parasol into the corner. She stills when she hears the door click shut. The room seems suddenly very quiet. Very… private.

When that door clicked shut it seemed to have trapped all the tension in here, too. Outside of the room, it had somewhere to go. Inside, it just keeps building and building. I walk up behind her and raise a hand not sure if I should touch her, not sure what to say.

Bella takes several steps away from me then says over her shoulder in a hushed voice, "What did you want to talk about, Edward?" She then turns to me and leans against the doorway to the inner room. There is a slight blush staining her cheeks and she's not looking at my eyes, she's looking at my mouth.

I hesitate for a second trying to calm myself, to think this through. I set my hat on the table next to hers and when I look up at her she meets my gaze and her blush deepens and then… then she licks her lips.

It takes two strides to get to her. I turn to face her fully and I tentatively reach out to lightly cup her shoulders. "No," she whispers and the whole world stills at her words. I stop, my fingertips just barely grazing her upper arms. I keep eyes contact with her and try and let her know that I will not hurt her. That she can trust me. She relaxes just a fraction but I am so in tune with her I feel it. My hands begin to move up, once again, and this time they reach their target.

So, I just I stand there before her, with my hands lightly cupping her delicate shoulders and gaze into her eyes. After I give her a moment to adjust to my proximity, I slowly take a small step forward almost completely closing the gap between us. Again, she offers no resistance and the tension builds once more.

I wait for a reaction when I raise one hand to her face. She breaks eye contact and looks down at my chest and closes her eyes. Her breathing quickens when I lightly run my fingertips across her cheekbone. She is so beautiful. I gently take hold of her chin and lift her face back up to mine. I cup her cheek and lean my head down a little closer still.

Her warm chocolate eyes finally meet mine again and she tilts her chin higher. I give her a small smile and move to have both hands cupping her jaw. I am completely transfixed by the moment, by her. I am really here. She is so close I can taste her sweet warm breath. Her hair smells like sunshine and flowers. Her creamy ivory skin is so soft, so beautiful. I can see dark grey flecks in her amazing brown eyes. Her lips…Her lips look so inviting. The lower is slightly swollen and red from her biting it earlier. So innocent. So sexy.

"Oh God," she whispers, "Do something." The last comes out almost as a whimper and it snaps me out of my reverie. I lean in so slow and brush my lips across hers lightly once, twice, three times. With that she unclenches the little fists she's kept at her sides and places her palms flat against my stomach and leans into me.

The hesitancy is gone and the more my lips touch hers, the more pressure I use, the more she moves her lips against mine, the more the tension leaves the room to be replaced by euphoria. I wrap my arms around her waist and, when she slides her hands up my torso to grasp my shoulders, I crush her to me. I raise a hand to cradle the back of her head and open my mouth to trace my tongue along her luscious bottom lip …just as there is a loud knock at the door.

Bella flies from my embrace like a scared bird and turns the corner into the open bed chamber. I watch her closely, afraid to move, afraid to speak, afraid she regrets the amazing kiss we just shared. We both struggle to get our breathing under control and she checks her appearance in the mirror on the wall grimacing at the guilty blush marking her cheeks. The knock comes again, slightly louder and more insistent.

"Isabella?" James Meadows calls from behind the door.

_Dammit_. I didn't want her to get caught in her alone with me. _This is bad._ I stand motionless, waiting to take my cues from Bella.

"Come in," she calls out. I'm surprised and take a few steps backward to distance myself further from Bella and further from the bed. The door opens to reveal a very agitated Mr. Meadows. My back stiffens under his glare but I dare not meet his eyes. I don't want to challenge him. I don't want to make things worse for my Bella.

"I think you had better go," Meadows addresses me sternly.

"Have you been waiting all this time for our return?" Bella confronts him, her voice trembling with apparent anger.

"I think this is hardly the time for this discus-" He starts in a placating voice but Bella cuts him off.

"Have you!?" She demands her face flushed and her eyes throwing sparks. _She is stunning._

"_Yes_," he says with a hiss. "Does that surprise you?"

"Our relationship is strictly business." She informs him.

He seems affronted. "_Strictly_ business?"

"I am involved with you as an _actress_, Mr. Meadows, not a doormat. _Do not_ attempt to wipe you boots on me." She sounds lethal.

James Meadows is stunned speechless. I'm under the impression he thought she would bow to his will on this like all other matters. I feel somewhat embarrassed for him that he is put in his place in front of a virtual stranger. He is a proud man, after all. _This is my cue to go._ I quietly turn to grab my hat off the table, hoping to slip out the door and leave them to this. My Bella seems to have a firm handle on things.

"Edward?" Bella calls for my attention so I turn to her and meet her gaze. Her face softens and the venom has leaves her voice when she speaks to me. "I shall leave a ticket for you at the door."

I give her a crooked smile and a brief nod in acknowledgement, grab my bowler and walk out the door quietly to let them finish their discussion. I hope they can both come to terms with this. I never wanted to hurt Bella or make life difficult for her.

James Meadows needs to understand that her heart lies elsewhere.

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**A/N: Reviews are my brand of heroin. ;o)**


	9. Man of her Dreams

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**Disclaimer: Somewhere in Time and Twilight are not mine.**

**A/N: Woo Hoo for you guys! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. Here's your cookie!**

**Enjoy your cookie!**

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Chapter 8: Man of her Dreams

**EPOV**

My ticket is waiting for me at the door just like Bella said it would be. I quickly settled in my seat and waited for her. When she makes her appearance I am captivated by her presence on stage. She is wearing a floor length white gown and the spot light gives her an ethereal glow. She looks like an angel walking across the stage, the fabric alternating between billowing out and clinging to her legs. She is amazing. She is able to project that soft voice into the theater so that all can hear her. She has such poise. She really is talented. I am so proud of her.

I am mesmerized watching her for the first half. I don't think I heard more than two words she said. I just watch her. The way her skirt clings to her legs as she walks across stage. The way she gestures with her hands as she talks. How she licks her lips before speaking her lines. I'm grateful for this opportunity. If she were not on stage performing I would never have been allowed to watch her the way I am without attracting attention. She's a member of polite society and I will have to play by their rules. But for now, while she is up on stage, I can memorize her body in motion.

When she looks me in the eye, I come back to reality. Her words start sinking in. It seems as though she is delivering a monologue. She is supposed to be addressing the other actress on stage. My eyes lock on hers and the whole room disappears. She is talking of love. Of meeting her destiny. I know that these are words from a script but, something about the way she looks to me as she recites them, I can't help but think she is talking about me. About us. I still feel like I am in a dream. I can't keep the glazed over look out of my eyes. She is talking about the man of her dreams. I try not to read too much into her words but she is looking right at me as she says them with such feeling I almost forget to breathe.

"… the sort of man each woman dreams of in the deepest most secret reaches of her heart. I can almost see him now before me. What would I say to him…if he were really here? Forgive me. I've never known this feeling. I've lived without it _all_ my life. Is it any wonder that I failed to recognize you? _You_, who brought it to me for the first time. Is there any way that I can let you know how my life has changed? Any way at all to let you know of the sweetness you have given me? There is so much to say I… I can not find the words… Except, for these…" She takes a small shuddering breath.

"I love you."

My heart is pounding in my chest and I don't think I took a breath or blinked the entire time she 'spoke to me'. When I flash her my crooked smile she breaks character and smiles back for just a second. She quickly turns to hide the small blush that has, once again, stained her cheeks. The crowd burst into applause after her moving speech and I can't keep myself from joining in. I'm thankful for a way to release some of the joy that has been rising in me to near overflowing.

I seek her out during the intermission. I'm not sure if I will be able to see her, let alone talk to her again, but I have to try. I'm lucky. The cast is being photographed and I arrive just in time to see Bella sit for her portrait. Not wanting to disturb, I slowly approach her from behind the camera. The photographer has just finished adjusting her pose and is about to snap the picture when she looks up at me. Her eyes light up and she smiles with a hint of a blush. It's the look.

FLASH

Realization dawns the second that the picture is taken. The portrait that will one day hang in the Hall of History. The one that I gazed into so often, dreaming that she was looking at me that way. It truly _was_ a picture of my Bella giving_ me_ that look frozen in time. The thought makes my head swim.

We need to talk. The company is leaving after the set is broken down. _She _isleaving for Denver tonight with them. How can I let her go now? I can't keep my smile in. Yes, we definitely need to talk.

I'm not able to see her after the photo is taken. Alice, her maid, shows up and whisks her away for her wardrobe change so I make my way out to my seat. Shortly after the play resumes, an usher hands me a note. It's from James Meadows. He needs to speak to me, to meet him at the gazebo behind the theater straight away. It's a matter of life or death, the note claims. As much as I would like to ignore him, this matter needs to be settled. At least Bella will be on stage and not have to witness our argument. She notices me get up and walk up the aisle. I send her an apologetic smile unable to explain as I leave.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mr. Meadows doesn't waste any time and lays into me the second I mount the stairs to the gazebo. "Do you have _any_ notion how many _years _I have been with Miss Swan?"

I've done my research and I remember it well. "It will be ten years this coming March." It's only summer now and I hope that referring to their relationship in the future tense will calm him somewhat.

"March… that's correct." He seems quietly surprised I know this and makes eye contact for the first time. "Over nine years ago. She was sixteen at the time." Mr. Meadows' voice is eerily calm as he remembers. I find it unsettling. "_There she was_. On that _dingy _stage in that _pathetic_ play. Total. Radiance. It only took me _seconds_ to realize _exactly_ what she had to be."

"_Mrs_. Meadows?" I clench my jaw.

His voice steadily rises and his face reddens. "Do you _actually_ believe that I have _nurtured_ her, _cared_ for her, _molded_, _taught_ and _developed_ her for all these years _merely to groom a WIFE_!?"

"What then?" I ask shocked and completely confused.

"A _star_." The eerie calm voice is back and I'm not sure it's better than the rage. Then his voice rose again as he began, "Only someone with the limited awareness of your age could _conceive_ that my entire _passion_ for this woman is no more than _physical_!" he accuses. "_Are you even capable_ of understanding that she has it within herself to _be_ one of the greatest, if not, _THE _greatest actress of her generation!?"

I slowly approach James and take a steadying breath to address him calmly, "I owe you an apology, Mr. Meadows."

"What?" he huffs. Confusion is playing on his face as its color slowly returns.

"I understand you now." I speak quietly, calmly, and try and let him know that I am not a threat. "You have nothing but the best of intentions for her."

"And you think-"

"_BUT_," I interrupt him, "So do I. Of course, she will continue to act. She will continue to grow. And she will become _everything_ that you want her to be."

"With you at her side?" he asks, his voice sounds almost disconnected.

"_Yes._ With me at her side." I am confident.

"_Never_," he hisses.

"My God. You _really_ think you _own_ her, don't you?" It's time to walk away from this.

"Masen," he calls me back. "I know who you are." He has almost a crazy gleam in his eyes. "Ever since you came here. I've known from the start." _Can he really know?_ "You came to destroy her."

"_God_ man, you really _are_ out of your mind." Now I really do walk away from him. He has lost touch with the situation. I need to keep Bella from him. I can see that now. She is no longer safe with this man. The play must be ending now. I can hear the applause. If I hurry, I can get backstage before James has a chance to get close to her again.

"Victor! Laurent!" James yells from behind me.

I turn just in time to see two dark figures rush towards me from the shadows and attack.

Then… darkness.

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**A/N: Review, Review, Review! As you can see reviews make me post faster. LOL I need to make sure I reward you guys for taking the time to tell me what you think or what your fav lines were, right? BTW, who liked that I gave Victoria a sex change to fit her into the story? :snickers and giggles: Not that you could tell but I also made her balding and gave her a bad mustache just to really piss her off. You _know_ she had to be vain about all that red hair after all the mentions it had in SMeyer's books. ;o)**

**Obviously, most of the material this chapter was in the one shot. The next chapter is all fresh-never-before-seen stuff, though. (Yeah!) :o) **

**We are officially over the hump. There are only 16 chapters to this story if you include the prologue. The good news is that other than the lemon, the chapters will be all new material that was never posted in the original one shot. I hope your excited. The chapters after the lemon are my favs! :o)**


	10. Rude Awakening

******Disclaimer: Somewhere in Time and Twilight are not mine.**

******A/N: Happy Friday everybody! As promised, this chapter is 100 o/o new material never-before-seen-in-the-oneshot. **

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 9: Rude Awakening**

**EPOV**

The painful throbbing in my head is the first thing I'm aware of. A distant second is the smell of fresh hay and horseflesh. I try and gingerly feel the pulsing knot on the back of my head but I can't seem to move my arms. I open my eyes to find myself bound and gagged in what appears to be a stable. None of that really bothers me though. The panic I feel rising in my chest has nothing to do with my current physical state but everything to do with the sunlight streaming in through the doors and windows. _Sun_light. It's morning._ Oh God_. The company has left. Where is Bella? She's lost to me now. Why would she stay? All we had was half a day of talking, connecting, and one dance. One kiss. I feel the bile rise in my throat and I can't tell if it's from my probable concussion or the thought that Bella is _gone_. I don't care to figure it out. I need to get out of here.

I pull hard at the ropes knotted to my wrists. I can't seem to get much leverage in this awkward position with my hands behind my back. My shoulder is screaming at me. They must not have bothered to lay me down, just dropped my unconscious body to the stable floor. I pull and pull and I can feel the ropes biting into the skin of my wrists but I don't care. I have to get to her. I need to find her. This isn't working. I try and calm myself enough to really take in my surroundings. Maybe there is something I can use… but there's not. I'm on the floor of an open empty stall with nothing but hay around me.

If my legs were free I could probably stand and walk out of here. Surely someone would see me then and help with the bindings at my wrists. I pull as best I can to loosen the bonds around my knees and ankles but I have no luck there either. I may not be able to walk but I can still use my legs to push myself out of the stall. After a few grunts and shoves and shimmies I can see out of the stall. I don't see anyone and, other than the occasional sound made by the horses, I don't hear anything. I do my best to call for help through the gag anyway. No response.

Then I see it. Hanging from a nail on the stable across from me is an unlit kerosene lamp. I used to have one once. Emmet broke it years ago when we went camping. It didn't take much. He just dropped it and the glass shade broke. I remember it well because I cut myself on the sharp glass shards. It's not a pocket knife but it'll due.

I flop around like a fish out of water and push and inch myself across the floor to other stall. I flip onto my back and shrug my way up the wall. I'm almost there, I just need to lean a little to the right and then the lantern will be at my shoulder. With one last carefully placed shrug I hook the lantern with my shoulder; it comes unhooked from its nail and falls to the floor. I have never been so happy to hear the sound of glass breaking in all my life.

I quickly lower myself and find a shard large enough to use. I grind and saw at the rope at my wrist frustrated how long it's taking and that I can't seem to keep up the pressure. I silently curse James Meadows for having competent goons who actually know how to tie a decent knot. _James…_ James is with Bella. _Oh God!_ My fingers are cramping but I don't care. I need to get free. I have to get to Bella. I am so scared of what he might do to her. He was so angry and odd last night. He was becoming unhinged. I change my mind. I now pray that she didn't stay behind, that she left with him and gave him no reason to hurt her. I'm shocked out of my panic when the rope finally gives way and with a twist and a pull the bindings are loose enough that they fall from my wrists. I don't waste a second of time and immediately cut at the ropes hobbling my legs. They fall away much quicker that the binding at my wrists now that I have full use of my hands.

I throw the broken glass aside and spring to my feet ripping the gag from my mouth as I run outside. I pause only for a moment to let my eyes adjust to the early morning light and take in my surroundings. I don't know whether to laugh or cry when I see The Grand before me. I wasn't taken far. They just dumped me in the hotel's own stable. I run like a man on fire towards the building. The hotel is quiet and the lobby is almost completely empty since, judging from the sun, it's just after dawn. I head straight to room 117 and I'm conflicted as to what I pray to find. As much as I hope Bella left quietly with James, I know the safest place for her to be is far away from him. I bang on her door willing her to answer it. Please, oh please, answer the door, Bella.

My chest is getting so tight.

"Bella!" _Please answer_.

I bang some more. My fist is starting to hurt but I need to know. I lay my forehead against the wood praying for her to be there. I knock again. It's hard to breathe.

"Sir? Are you alright?"

I turn to find Jasper standing in the hall with a concerned expression on his face. "Jasper! The company. Are they gone?"

He tilts his head and furrows his brow, confused. I think he is concentrating more on my disheveled and battered condition than my words. "Company, sir?"

"The ones who put on the play last night." I urgently explain trying not to sound like a crazy person. "Where are they? Are they gone?"

"They left last night, as soon as they were packed, sir," he nodded.

Defeated and resigned, I turn with a curt nod leaving Jasper without an explanation_. There is nothing for me here now. She's not here. _I need to get out of this damned hotel. I stride through the lobby, ignoring the shocked stares of the early risers clearly disturbed my appearance. I step into the morning sun on the large rear porch and try to take a deep breath of the cool morning air. The ache in my chest is still there, constricting. My heart feels like it has been crushed. The pain gives me something to concentrate on other than… _her_.

My head hurts. I gingerly finger the knot at the back of my head. No dried blood, that's good. When I grimace at the sting from my prodding fingers, I feel the tightness of the skin stretched across my cheekbone. I probably have a bit of a black eye but it feels like my cheek absorbed most of the force from that punch. I definitely took a few hits to my gut last night, maybe even a kick to the ribs. There's a slice to the palm of my hand from the broken glass, not too deep and the bleeding appears to have stopped. With a small grunt, I sit down dejectedly on a bench overlooking the lush landscaping. I don't see it. I'm too lost in my own head. _What should I do now? Where should I go? If I even had the money to get to Denver, I have no way of knowing where in Denver she is. Maybe someone at the hotel knows their next stop. Maybe if I…_

"_EDWARD!?_" I hear her cry out from far away. I jump to my feet and turn head towards the sound of her voice; my pains and aches completely forgotten in my euphoria at the sight of her. There she is, my Bella, standing on the back lawn. "Edward!" Her whole face lights up when our eyes meet. She looks like an angel in white and I almost can't believe my eyes. She gathers her long skirt and starts running.

"Bella!" I call out in answer as I start flying down the long staircase down to the lawn. I take the steps three and four at a time and I don't really slow down or stop when I reach her. We almost spin out of control as I pull her into my arms and crush her to me and laugh, kissing her face all over. I can't believe she's here. She's really here in my arms so I hold her close and hug her fiercely. It feels so good, so right, to have her arms tightly wrapped around my waist and her head pressing into my shoulder. I can't believe that James left her behind- _James…_

"Are you all right?" I pull back and search her beaming face for any imperfections, any sign that he may have hurt her. There are none.

"Oh, yes," she breathes with a dazzling smile, laughing as her hands clutch and pull at my shoulders to bring me down for another kiss.

"I thought I'd lost you." I tell her with disbelief still in my voice. I cradle her face in my hands and gaze into her eyes with all the love I have for her.

"Never," she smiles and I take another quick kiss. Then with more conviction, "Never, never, _never_."

The air seems to gently vibrate around us, electrified by the emotion of our reunion. We gaze into each others eyes and our smiles fade as I slowly lean down and she stretches up to meet me. This kiss is different from the others. The desperation and pain is replaced by feelings of contentment and relief. The sense of urgency is gone now that we are in each others arms again. This kiss is soft and slow; our lips linger before coming together again and again. Pulling back from each other, we smile as she removes her hands from my shoulders and I place my hand at the small of her back to lead her back into the hotel. There are no more words, our eyes tell the other everything there is to say.

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**A/N: Review please!! I love hearing from you guys! **

**I****t looks like everyone was tickled over the whole Victor/Victoria thing. It only reinforced my sadness that I wasn't able to torture her a bit more without messing up the rhythm of the last chapter. The plot bunnies did strike as I read your reviews and I thought I might do a series of sideshots for this story like: Victor and Laurent licking their wounds after their encounter with Edward ('cause you know Edward had to get a few good licks in before he went down), BPOV of thier first meeting or first kiss or the play or maybe something with Alice (I miss Alice!)... OOooo! How about elderly Bella's POV of the night she gives Edward the pocket watch!? Whatcha think? Anything you'd like to see? Let me know what you'd like to see the most in your reviews and be sure to have me on author alert so you'll be notified when I post the sideshot/stories, OK?**

**So who wants to kiss Edward's boo boos all better? Maybe play a little naughty nurse? Show of hands please? LOL Sorry, I can't help it. You would know what I'm talking about if you read the latest update for ObsessingOverEdward's story Holding Out For You. If you don't know what I'm talking about... Shame on you! Go read it _now_ -and everything else she ever wrote, too, 'cause it's all amazing! You won't regret it. :o)**

**Coming Up Next: The Lemon! I hope to have it posted Sunday at the latest. I have to rework the entire first half of it, more or less, since the oneshot is a meshing of thier first kiss and their 'first time'. I could just hack that bit off and have it start all hot and heavy from the get go but this is supossed to be a gentle romance so I'd like to give it the attention it deserves. You guys who send me all the loverly reviews make the extra work worth it. ;o) Thanks!**


	11. Dr Swan, Medicine Woman

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******Disclaimer: Somewhere in Time and Twilight are not mine.**

******A/N: Sorry for the late update everyone. I had some issues trying to rework the beginning of the lemon. I tried and tried but nothing seemed right until I went with the naughty nurse idea. LOL Not really, this is supposed to be fluffy, after all. But my last A/N asking who wanted to kiss Edward's boo boos really started the plot bunnies a-hoppin'. I decided to run with it and added a whole new chapter... which is why it took so darn long to post. **I hope the extra chapter makes up for my tardiness. And for those of you counting, this chapter has 1000 words more than my average chapter for this story. XD

BTW The title of this chapter is a nod to Jane Seymour who played Elise McKenna (aka Bella Swan) in the movie.

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter 10: Dr. Swan, Medicine Woman

**EPOV**

As we walk through the lobby, I try not to notice the raised eyebrow of the desk clerk. That man was the only one to witness my both of my earlier trips, first running in through the front full tilt and then walking out the back dejectedly, and now here I am passing through his lobby, yet again, for the third time in the last half hour. This time I have the hotel's honored guest, the famous actress Miss Isabella Swan, hanging on my arm. He's probably wondering whether or not to call security but, luckily, one look at Bella's radiant smile would dispel any thoughts that she wasn't with me of her own volition.

Standing outside her door once again I can feel the tension build just like it did before when we stood in this same spot yesterday. We lock gazes and it looks as though she wants to say something. I want to tell her that I never want to leave her side. That I have been missing her for almost a decade. I don't want her to think I'm completely crazy so I say nothing and wait. She just stands there, looking up at me with those big brown eyes… and then she whispers. It's so low that, I swear, if I wasn't watching her lips as she spoke, I would have missed it. "Will you come inside?" I smile softly and reach to take the key from her hand to open the door for us –and then the spell is broken.

"Edward," she gasps, "What happened to your hand?" Key forgotten, she takes my hand in hers and lightly runs her thumb across my bruised knuckles. Then her head snaps up and, instead of looking into my eyes she takes a good look at my face, her eyes widen as she notices the swelling of my check. I think there must be a bruise under my left jaw the way her eyes linger there. "Edward? You've been in a fight?"

I smile to reassure her. "I'm fine, love. You are safe and I'm here with you that's all that matters now."

She squeezes my hand with trepidation. "What happened? Is this why I couldn't find you last night?" Her eyes narrow on me. "Why did you leave the play early? Where did you go? Where have you been?" Then her mood darkens further and she demands, "_Who_ did this to you?"

I give her what I hope is a dazzling smile and try not to laugh at her kittenish fury. It looks as though my little Bella is about to take on my attackers single handed in retribution; all she needs is a name. "It doesn't matter now, love. It's over, they're gone, and we're together. I won't let them keep you from me. I'm here for as long as you want me." She leans into the hand I've raised to her cheek and I'm happy to see her need for justice lessen as she acquiesces begrudgingly with a sigh.

She takes my hand down from her face and inspects that hand's broken knuckles, too, with a grimace. "You're a mess," she sighs. She then opens the door and pulls me inside by my elbow, all the tension forgotten with the knowledge of my injuries. "Come in, we need to get you cleaned up," she grumbles. She then shoots me a look and I have to chuckle. She is clearly perturbed that I am interfering with her need for justice and maybe a little upset that I had gotten myself into a fight. I'm beginning to feel a bit like a boy being chastised for a schoolyard scrap.

She brings me over to a chaise placed close to a window and pushes me down to sit so that the morning sun is streaming in on me. Bella is on a mission and I just have to smile as I watch her move around the room collecting a basin of water, some hand towels and a glass bottle. This is so unlike yesterday. She seems to have completely forgotten her virginal nervousness at being alone with me in the privacy of her room.

She returns to the chaise and places the basin on the floor to my right, wets and wrings out a towel and then brings it to my face. I sit silently watching her, my hands firmly grasping my knees as she gently wipes the cloth over my brow, down the sides of my face and across the bridge of my nose washing away the dirt from struggling on the floor of the stables. She takes my chin in her hand and turns my face side to side in the light reassessing my injuries. "Good," she says with a satisfied nod as she probes my cheekbone. "It doesn't look near as bad with the dirt wiped off and it doesn't feel like anything is broken." She then turns to rinse and wring out the rag again. "I don't know how I missed this. I was just so happy to see you…" she mutters to herself as she brings the cloth to my face once again wiping over my whole face more thoroughly and even wipes down my neck to my collar.

I swallow thickly. She is so focused on her task that she doesn't seem to notice her proximity to me. She is standing before me bent at the waist with her lips so close I can feel her warm breath on my face. It doesn't help that my body is responding to her ministrations as if they were meant as gentle caresses. It's all I can do to sit here and not take her into my arms; I pacify myself by simply watching her graceful movements and the gentle calculating look in her eyes as she tends to my face.

Bella kneels before me and wets another towel to wash the dirt from both of my hands, careful not to put pressure on my open knuckles. I quietly watch her clean my left hand front and back but I let out a hiss as she grabs my wrist to turn my right hand over. I hear her gasp as she looks closer, pushing up my sleeves and sees the broken skin from the ropes. She then lets out a small whimper when she turns my hand over and sees the slices in my palm from the glass.

"Oh Edward, you have to tell me who did this to you." She beseeches me.

I smile softly at her and shrug. "I did. I had to use a piece of broken glass to cut the rope."

"Edward," she chastises, "You know what I mean." Bella sighs in exasperation and sets the cloth aside. "Please. Tell me what happened to you… and I need you to remove your coat and roll up your sleeves so I can attend to your wrists," she says with a no nonsense attitude and sits back on her heels, crossing her arms, waiting for me to follow both instructions."

"James sent for me before the play was through. He didn't want me to continue to see you," I explain as I unbutton my coat and begin to gingerly try to shrug out of it.

Bella looks surprised. "Mr. Meadows did this to you?" She then reaches up to help me get my coat off by running her hands from my shoulders to elbows pushing the fabric ahead of her hands. It's too fast and a little too rough so I give a small grunt and wince.

"_Easy_… easy, Bella." I smile at her to hopefully cover up my discomfort. "James tried to ward me off but, when I refused, he had a couple of men knock me out and drag me off to the stables. I assure you, I'm fine." I smile at her again as I lay my coat to the side, unbutton my cuffs and begin to roll them up for her. She bats my hand away, leans forward and begins pulling at my neck tie with quite an angry look on her face. "Bella? What are you doing?"

"I am taking care of you before I go take care of James Meadows." I can't help but chuckle at her. Again, she is ready to take on the world in retribution. "Apparently firing him and sending him packing was not enough punishment for meddling in my personal affairs. I had no idea he was responsible for my being unable to locate you –that he went to such lengths... He simply used your absence to try and talk me into leaving for Boston. I made it very clear that I wasn't leaving without you," she pauses briefly to looks up at me with a blush, somewhat embarrassed by her words, before returning to her explanation and unbuttoning my waistcoat and shirt. "And that under no uncertain terms was it any of his business if I waited for you." With that she pulls my suspenders off my shoulders and is about to remove my shirt but I stay her hands and give her a questioning look. "Edward, I need to tend all of your injuries. I saw that wince." she says with a half smile daring me to argue with her. "I promise to _gently_ help you remove your shirt much slower than I did your coat."

I remove my hands from her wrists and slowly shrug out of my shirt and waistcoat as one as I try not to notice her close proximity as she helps me. It is near impossible as I feel her damp warm hands on my bare skin run down the length of my arms to remove the fabric. She then inspects the bruising at my shoulder. It's tender but it doesn't compare to the ache when I bring my arms behind me from spending the night in that position. She then places both hands against my ribs on my left side and starts pressing and prodding again with a serious expression on her face. I have to let out a laugh and stay her hands again when it begins to tickle too much. "What are you doing?"

Satisfied with my ribs she takes a good look at the rest of my chest. She finally seems to realize my state of undress and how close she is when she snatches her hands away from mine and blushes. She clears her throat and reaches again for the bottle and a cloth before answering me. "I was checking for a broken rib. It appears to be only bruised so I won't bind it unless it hurts to breathe," she says meekly, still disconcerted.

"No, it's fine." I raise an eyebrow at her. "Did you play a nurse in your last play?" I joke in hopes easing her embarrassment.

"No. I have never played a nurse," she smirks. "I do have real life experience, though. I have four older brothers who all fancied themselves pugilists growing up. My mother taught me at an early age how to tend everything from bruises to broken ribs." She then makes a joke herself as she wets the cloth with the contents of the bottle. "I just don't do well at the sight of blood so let's not make this a habit, shall we?"

"Anything for you," I grin at her but my playful mood is cut short by the painful sting of my hand. Instinctively, I hiss and pull my hand from hers and the wet cloth. "What is that?"

Bella stifles a giggle and takes my hand back. "It's witch hazel, Edward. It will help. I didn't think you would appreciate the use of alcohol." She smiles and then proceeds to torture me with the wet cloth, rewetting it and applying it across my knuckles and on both wrists. I do my best to hold my hands still as she tends to them and I bite my tongue to refrain from saying anything I shouldn't. A few little hisses and grunts manage to escape and I notice her fighting to keep the corners of her mouth down as she tries not to smile. _The beating I took the night before was easier to endure than this. _I've had enough and snatch my hand away when she gently runs the wet cloth over my sliced palm. I give my hand a shake as if it will help with the sting and clench my jaw to keep from blurting any expletives.

"It hurts," I explain, somewhat perturbed at her poorly concealed amusement.

"I'm sure it does," she patronizes me. She smiles and straightens up so we are face to face. My discomfort is forgotten and my heart speeds up as she leans in. I look at her lips as she licks them and it does me in…until my cheek stings when she presses the wet cloth to it. With a loud hiss I abruptly whip my head to the side away from the damned rag. She looks at me through her lashes and explains in the most innocent voice, "There's a tiny little cut on your cheek."

"It _hurts_," I explain again with a disapproving look.

Bella abruptly sits back on her heels. "Tell me, Edward, is there anywhere that _doesn't_ hurt?" She tosses the rag aside and cocks an eyebrow clearly a bit upset that I'm taking her ministrations for granted.

It's a rhetorical question but I can't help but bait her back. "Here!" I tell her with a smug smile. I bend my arm and point to my elbow. She's amused by my answer and her smile returns. Her eyes light up as she chuckles and then, as if on impulse, she leans forward and places a quick chaste kiss where I'm pointing.

I'm a bit shocked. I hadn't expected that reaction any more than it looked like she planned it. My discomfort is once again forgotten as I realize that she is waiting for me to make the next move. "Here." I raise my hand and point to my forehead. Bella straightens up so we are face to face again and places another chaste, yet lingering, kiss to where I'm pointing.

Neither one of us are smiling now and the tension is back full force. I'm aware of only Bella. She's kneeling between my feet and, straightened up like she is, her hips are brushing the insides of my knees. We are almost eye to eye and I feel like I can't look away from her now, even if I wanted to.

"Here," I say softly in a low throaty voice and point to the corner of my mouth. Her lips turn up just a bit and her eyes close as she leans in the few inches it takes to kiss the spot just beside my lips. My eyes close, too, and my heart is racing as I savor the feeling. She begins to pull away so, I turn towards her and press my lips to hers. I wrap my arms around her to draw her closer and kiss her properly.

I can feel her smile against my lips just like I'm sure she can feel my smile against hers.

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**A/N: Review, Review, Review! **

**I have a cookie for anyone who can name the movie I pulled the last bit of this chapter from in their review. I thought I'd really play up the 'nurse' part rather than just have them enter the room and start kissing. A few of you asked about how Bella 'got away' from James so I thought I'd give you a clue to that in there, too. **

**Due to the positive response, I AM going to do a few sideshots for this story so make sure you have me on author alert for that. I'm going to start with a loooooong elderly Bella POV that will take place on the night she gives Edward the watch and will have Bella remembering meeting him, kissing him, etc. I'll start writing that soon but I won't post it until the end of CBTM since it will contain major spoilers for what is to come.**

**Please write a review and let me know what you think of this chapter. Is Bella too OOC? I just really liked the scene of him pointing to 'where it doesn't hurt 'for her to kiss and had to put it in there. I hope it works and you enjoyed it. :o)**


	12. Prelude

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***************PLEASE NOTE!********************

**I just changed my pen name from AlohaBEL to TwilightBEL!! I am sorry for any confusion. I felt the need to do this because so many people I know IRL know me by AlohaBEL -specifically my 12yo daughter. She has expressed an interest in reading my Twilight stories and I just can't have my little girl reading the smut her mommy posted on the internet! Not to mention all the M stories I saved in my favs! I hope you all can understand and, again, I'm sorry for any confusion. :o)**

Disclaimer: They're still not mine, people!!

A/N: I am sad. :o( Only 4 reviews last chapter... did you guys not like it? I know I strayed from the SIT storyline with that scene but I thought it fit in nicely, plus we got more ExB fluff. I only had one person guess where the kissing 'where it doesn't hurt' scene came from, too. I hope I get a better responce with the lemon! :o) It's a long one, too. About 4,000 words so I split it in two so your eyes don't cross. Don't worry about waiting for the second half; I'm posting that tonight, too. :o)

BTW The chapter name, Prelude, is a musical term which means 'a short piece preceding a more substantial work'. I thought that fit well here.

**Enjoy!!**

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Chapter: 11

**Prelude**

**EPOV**

We've been here before. In this room, in an embrace, kissing much like we are now. There is a difference, though. Bella doesn't hesitate. She slides her warm hands up my bare torso to hook them on my shoulders. This feels right. Bella, in my arms with her lips pressing against mine again and again, feels _right_. She leans further into me and I raise a hand to cradle the back of her head and open my mouth to trace my tongue along her luscious bottom lip. This time there is no knock at the door. This time there is no interruption.

She gasps at this and I slowly press my tongue into her mouth. I'm not sure what she will think of it as I tentatively lap at her tongue. She squeezes my shoulders a bit tighter and stiffens in my arms and just as I am about to retreat she relaxes into my embrace with a small moan. Bella begins to respond to the kiss and slowly her tongue begins to dance with mine. When she briefly sucks my bottom lip in her mouth, I find heaven in her arms. But I know this has to stop.

I slowly disengage our mouths and it's difficult because the further I pull my head from her, the further she leans forward to meet me. With a few kisses to her lips, each one more chaste than the last, I finally pull away to look her in the eyes.

"Don't stop," she whimpers gently tugging at my shoulders.

"I have to, love," I tell her with a sad smile. I rest my forehead against hers as we both calm our breathing but neither of us loosens the hold we have on the other.

"But, why?" she sadly whispers.

I take a steadying breath. "Bella, I am a man with a beautiful woman in my arms that I love very much. There is nothing I would want more than to continue kissing you but, if we do this much longer, I won't have the good sense to stop." My hand leaves the back of her head to lie against her cheek as the pad of my thumb rubs softly against her swollen lip. "I won't be able to let you go. I'll want to hold on to you. Forever."

Bella looks me straight in the eye. "Edward, I love you, too." Then she says softly with conviction. "I want this. I want _you_. I don't _want_ you to let me go. Ever." With those words her hands slide up from my shoulders. She clutches handfuls of hair at the nape of my neck and pulls my head down to hers once again.

"Bella-" is all I am able to get out in my surprise before she crashes her lips to mine. She is a quick learner. This time she is the one to trace her tongue along my lip. I take her cue and open my mouth to her. When her tiny warm tongue presses into my mouth and dances against mine, the hand that is against her check travels lower. My hand trails slowly down the column of her neck and my fingertips trace her collarbone. Without warning, she presses into me hard trapping my hand between us. My hand is so large and my pianists' fingers so long, that, with my fingertips still on her collar bone, I suddenly have her soft breast palmed in my hand. I brace myself for her surprise. I wait for her to pull away. Instead, she leans into me even further with a small sigh.

I wrench my mouth away from hers and move my offending hand to her waist. "Bella, please." I beg, my breathing ragged. I set her aside to stand and distance myself from her. I lean one hand against the door jam and run the other through my hair as I try and calm my breathing. "I am trying hard to be a gentleman. You deserve bett-"

"I am twenty five years old, Edward," Bella interrupts with amused annoyance. She rises from her knees and walks over to me. She comes to stand under me so that her back is against the door jam with my hand above her head and her face directly beneath mine. "By most people's standards, I'm a spinster, having chosen a career rather than accept one of the men who asked for my hand. I have never regretted that decision, not once. I knew that those men were not for me," she places a chaste kiss on my lips sliding her hands back in place around my neck, "much like I know you_ are_ the man for me."

_Time to lay it all on the line, Masen._ "Love, you need to know that I have nothing to offer you but myself. I left my life in Chicago behind and I come to you with nothing but what you see before you, the clothes on my back and the few dollars in my pocket." I need to make her understand.

She smiles at me as if I just granted her fondest wish. "That's all I want," she tells me with another quick kiss. "You are all I need. If you don't want to return to Chicago, we can stay here and make a new home in Michigan or you can come with me to Denver and meet back up with the company and see if the traveling suits you..." Her face brightens as see senses me relax. "We won't have to hire a pianist at every stop anymore," she giggles before telling me seriously, "It doesn't matter to me where we go, or what we do, as long as we are together. You did say you wanted to hold on to me, didn't you? Never let me go?"

"That I did, love, and I meant it." I kiss her slowly this time lingering on her lower lip. I look into her eyes again and bring my hand back up to the back of her head lacing my fingers into her hair, my thumb rubbing against the tender spot below her ear. When she closes her eyes and leans her head back into my hand I lean forward again. This time, I only ghost my lips past hers once and continue along her cheek. My lips brush against her ear when I tell her I love her causing her to shiver. I nudge her cheek with mine to tilt her head into my hand exposing her neck to me. Her breathing quickens when I take her lobe between my lips with my tongue for a quick suck, only to release it and press the flat of my tongue below her ear. I lavish some attention to the sensitive spot for a few moments before trailing nips and open mouthed kisses down her neck. Once I reach her shoulder, she finally has access to my neck and starts placing little kisses everywhere her soft lips can reach. The first time I feel her teeth lightly scrape across the cords of my neck I groan. The sound vibrates between us and I feel the tension coil deep in my gut, my trousers now almost unbearably tight.

I pull against the shoulder of her dress and expose as much of her shoulder as I can as I move her back against the door jam. My neck is straining so my mouth can reach the newly exposed skin. _This isn't working_. I grab her around her ribcage with both hands and lift her up with only a small protest from my achy shoulders. She is now pressed into the door jam looking down on me cradling my head in her soft warm hands. I return my mouth to her shoulder and trail my tongue down to her collar bone. Avoiding my tender bump, Bella runs her hands through my hair, down my neck, across my shoulders and then back up again. Her hands leave a trail of fiery tingles in their wake. I slide one hand around her lower back to steady her with my arm while the other slides up her ribs to cup the underside of one breast. My hand gently squeezes her breast and, when she seems that she is accepting of it, I squeeze again with more pressure slowly kneading. My face lowers to her other breast and I trace my nose across its peak as my thumb starts brushing over her other nipple. I feel her nipples pearl up under the soft layers of fabric and it makes me harder to feel that she is so responsive to me. As I roll one nipple between my fingers, I take the other into my mouth and gently trap it between my teeth rubbing my tongue back and forth across the thick fabric.

Bella whimpers and thrusts one hand back into my hair, pulling my mouth closer to her breast, while the other grabs desperately at the back of my hand careful of my wrist. With a moan, she spreads her legs enough that she is now straddling me high on my waist, far from where I ache for her to be. I look up to see her head thrown back, her eyes squeeze shut and her mouth opens as she gasps for air. There is a beautiful blush running from her rosy cheeks, down along the column of her throat, disappearing down into the neckline of her dress. She looks magnificent. She looks down at me, probably to see why I've stopped, and I grin at her. She looks for a moment at my smiling face before lowering her head to mine.

As we kiss, I back away from the wall and allow her to slowly, torturously, slide down me. I groan into her mouth when her soft body comes in contact with the hard bulge in my pants. I stop her there palming her buttocks and grind her lightly against me. Bella whimpers again and is suddenly scrambling out of my arms. _Shit! I've scared her._

_

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**A/N: This was just a bit different than the oneshot. I tweaked it here and there and, of course, the seque at the begining is different. **

**Pretty please, remember to R&R. :o)**


	13. Crescendo

***********************PLEASE NOTE!********************

**I just changed my pen name from AlohaBEL to TwilightBEL!! I am sorry for any confusion. I felt the need to do this because so many people I know IRL know me by AlohaBEL -specifically my 12yo daughter. She has expressed an interest in reading my Twilight stories and I just can't have my little girl reading the smut her mommy posted on the internet! Not to mention all the M stories I saved in my favs! I hope you all can understand and, again, I'm sorry for any confusion. :o)**

**Enjoy!!**

**Disclaimer: They're still not mine, people!!**

**A/N: So here's the second half of the lemon. No real surprises here. It's almost verbatim from the oneshot. I hope you like it anyway and send me some love. :o)**

**BTW The chapter name, Crescendo, is a musical term which means 'gradually growing louder'. I like to tell you 'pun not intended' but I'd kind of be lying. I thought it fit well here since this is sort of the 'climax' of the story. :giggles at another unintentional pun:**

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**Chapter 12: Crescendo**

**EPOV**

I lower my Bella to the ground and quickly make sure she has her balance before I completely pull away. I look into her eyes, prepared to throw myself at her feet and beg forgiveness but I am shocked at what I see. Her cheeks are still flushed and her chest is still rising and falling with each rapid breath but it's her eyes that tell me what she is feeling. There is no fear, no apprehension, just a wantonness that I didn't expect mixed with love and trust. Giving me a small unsure smile, she raises both hands to the back of her head and pulls out two long stick-like things from her hair as she slowly backs into the room behind her. As I watch the flow of mahogany waves flow over shoulders I almost fail to notice that there is a bed behind her. She turns her back to me and spares me a coy look before drawing all of her hair over one shoulder exposing her neck to me again. I know she's a virgin and I can't help but awed by her boldness. I step into the room quickly and wrap my arms around her from behind pulling her to me as I attack her neck. My very hard erection is pressed against the soft roundness of her bottom now and it's all I can do to keep myself from grinding into her again.

"Edward," Bella giggles timidly. "My buttons…" _Oh!_ Suddenly the bold move of offering her neck makes so much more sense. I reluctantly pull away and set about my task.

As I look at the back of her dress, I am shocked at the amount of little buttons along her spine. My fingers feel large and clumsy as I struggle to free Bella. Her undergarments are a mystery to me. I have no idea what or where to unlace, unbuckle or unbutton. I help her everywhere I can and kiss her newly exposed skin when I'm not needed. She looks to be down to her final layer when she turns her full attention back to me. I explore her body through the thin fabric that remains as she smoothes her hands all over my abdomen and chest. I kiss her deeply once more before I pull away slightly to scoop her up into my arms and lay her on the bed.

Kneeling with one knee on the bed, I lean over her to question her with my eyes one last time. If she were to have changed her mind, now is the time to tell me. She smiles nervously at me and nods her head and takes my face into her hands. _She's anxious but she still wants this._ I nod once in return and allow her to draw my lips to hers. As we kiss I remove the remainder of her flimsy undergarments making a silent vow that, when we are alone, I will do everything I can to keep her undressed until zippers become popular with the fashion industry. She is now naked before me and I gaze upon every dip and curve of her body in the morning sunlight filtering in through the windows. I sit back a little so I can see her better. Bella bites her lip again and makes little fists at her sides as she waits, watching me. I can feel her eyes on my face as I map every hill and valley of her torso with my hand, my eyes following my fingers.

"So beautiful," I tell her as I lean down to kiss her again. Her shyness is starting to fade. She releases the bedspread and reaches out for me. I move to lie beside her as we kiss my hand still resting flat against her stomach. I'm raised up on my elbow so I can lean down to kiss her more as my free hand explores her soft belly. I trace small, slow circles along both hip bones and I feel her stomach muscles tense and relax under my hand. I move the arm I am leaning on so my hand can reach Bella's face. I sit back to look her in the eyes and stroke her cheek as my roaming hand delves lower, my fingers combing through her tight curls. I ask if she's alright and she nods that she is so, I continue. I cup her mound and slowly apply gentle pressure as I slightly draw my fingers back up and down again. Her breathing quickens and I bring my mouth to her chest to lavish more attention on her breasts.

It's not long before she starts moving under me and so I press my fingers deeper, parting her folds and find her sensitive nub. She gives out a strangled cry as I press my fingers in slow circles torturing her center. Holding her neck with my still hand, I return to kissing her lips so I can catch the soft noises she's making in my mouth. Her breathing is getting ragged and she's clutching at my shoulders and hair. I can feel her starting to spin out of control so I move my fingers lower and ease two fingers into her.

"Oh Bella," I groan. "You're so _wet_." I exclaim quietly in shock, stilling my fingers. I'm having a hard time holding onto my control now and I press my forehead to her shoulder and try and calm myself. I didn't think I could get any harder until I felt her wet heat. It's almost my undoing.

"Is… is that alright?" she asks me breathily. There is a hint of worry to her voice and I raise my head and smile to reassure her.

"It's more than alright, my love. It just shows me that your body is ready to have me inside you." My voice sounds deep and husky to even me. I smile at her again and move my thumb to resume making circles around her nub. Bella's very sensitive now after all the attention I've given her and she reacts with a sudden intake of breath throwing her head back into the pillows, closing her eyes. I lean in and nip and suck at her neck trailing my mouth from behind the soft spot behind her ear to her collar bone and back down to her breasts. I slowly start to pump my fingers and add more pressure to my thumb. I can feel her getting close and I look up to watch the ecstasy wash over her. Her breathing is erratic and her head has trashed to the side giving me the perfect view of her face. She opens her eyes and looks right at me when she cries out and I feel her walls clamping down on my thrusting fingers. I slow my hand and ease up the pressure on her clit as she rides out her pleasure. I have never seen anything as erotic as Bella gazing into my eyes when the orgasm over took her. She takes my breath away.

I smile, somewhat proud of myself since she obviously has enjoyed herself, and lean down to kiss her again as I remove my fingers from her and rest my hand at her hip. Her face flushed and rosy glistens with a thin sheen of sweat in the diffused sunlight. I am amazed at how beautiful she looks, she's practically glowing. My heart swells.

Bella breaks the silence. "Edward?" she asks faintly

I brush some stands of hair back from her damp forehead. "Yes, love?" I don't think I can stop smiling at her.

"That was…umm… it was…" Bella's blush spreads from her checks to her chest. "I never knew it could be that way… between a man and woman."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, love." I kiss her passionately, stoking the embers of desire once more then tell her, "But know that we aren't finished yet, there's more." My hand moves up from her hip to her breast ghosting my fingers over her ribs.

Bella's eyes widen and she raises herself resting on her elbows behind her. "More?" She asks through her pleasure induced haze. Then comprehension dawns, "Oh…" Her eyebrows raise and she looks from my face to down my chest and lower to the very obvious bulge in my trousers. "Oh!" And then she giggles then bites her lip again looking slightly worried.

I can't help but chuckle at her reaction. "I love you, Bella. I've never been with a virgin but I swear to you that I will do right by you. I won't hurt you, love." I try and calm any fears she might have.

"I trust you, Edward," she says and leans up to kiss me again. "I love you, too."

I kiss her back and lower her into the pillows as our tongues dance. She seems in a hyper sensitive state and every touch, nip, kiss, rub and lick appears to have a magnified effect and it's not long before she is writhing beneath me again. I manage to discard the rest of my clothes without interrupting our kissing for long and I nestle myself between her legs. I have to push her legs much further apart than was necessary for my hand and at first she tenses. Eye contact and a whispered 'I love you' was all that was needed for her to relax once again. I kiss her everywhere my mouth can reach, saving her lips for last. I can feel my tip at the opening of her moist heat now and I struggle, once again, for control as my body aches to be inside her.

I look her in the eye as I slowly lower my hips to hers, entering her as slow as I can manage. I push past her barrier easily and still my body as I feel her tense all around me. As I wait for her to relax, I try and concentrate on my breathing and not think about how good she fells around me, how soft, how tight… _Oh God!_ She relaxes and I take that as my cue to move again. I pull out slowly gauging her reaction and, when she stays relaxed, I slowly enter her again fully. I slowly pull my hips back and forth again and again, focusing on her face, waiting for a reaction but there is none. She just watches me intently and then… then I see the change come over her. Her eyes half close and her head tilts up just so as her breathing picks up. I relax into her more allowing myself to really feel her for the first time.

She feels amazing. So warm, so soft, so wet… so _mine_. I rock into her keeping the slow steady pace as long as I can, feeling the coil in my gut winding tighter and tighter. Bella lets out a small whimpering sound and so I increase the tempo of my thrusts. She responds with a soft moan and grabs at my back. I kiss her with passion to match my fevered thrusting. When I pull away from her mouth to gasp for breath she latches herself to my neck. I reach down, lifting her knee to hook it over my hip allowing me to plunge even further into her depths. I push deeply into her again and again and again before bringing a hand between us. With my palm flat against her stomach I find her sensitive nub again with the pad of my thumb. She shivers and I swear I feel her get tighter. I know I should be gentler with her but she feels so damn good and she's showing no signs of discomfort so I ram harder into her still over and over and over again. She's close now, I can feel it. Knowing what to expect now, she brings her palm to her mouth, biting it to stifle the noises she's making. I pull her hand away from her mouth and hold it in my fist.

"No, Bella." I pant between thrusts, "I want… to… hear you."

"Edward… please… gnuh…" I feel her walls clenching around my shaft when she throws hers head forward and bites my shoulder hard to quiet her orgasm. The bite, so feral, combined with her walls closing in on me throws me over the edge of the most intense orgasm of my life. I shudder and shiver when I finally still. I barely have enough thought in me to remember to roll myself to the side instead of collapsing on her. I still have her hand in mine and so I pull it until she is nestled to me half on my chest. I kiss the bite mark on her palm and then the top of her head, stroking her hair with my free hand. We lay cuddled there waiting for our breathing and heart rates to slow to a more normal pace. I don't think I have ever, or will ever, be happier than I am in this moment, right now. I feel a sudden wetness against my chest. _Is she crying?_

"Love?" I'm suddenly very worried, a thousand reasons for her tears run through my head. "Love, what is it?"

She straightens up a bit to look at me through watery eyes. "Oh Edward, I'm just so happy. A day ago I didn't even realize that a piece of my heart was missing… and now, here you are." She reached up to brush back the damp hair that clung to my forehead.

"Here I am, love, I've come a very long way to be with you and I'm here to stay," I assure her with a chaste kiss. She lays her head back against my chest and I bring her hand to my mouth to kiss her bite mark once again before laying her hand to rest over my heart, stroking her arm lightly with my fingertips. I gather Bella close and feel her melt into me with a sigh as I hum the song I wrote for her.

Bella's lullaby.

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**A/N: Review, Review, Review!! Why? Because I'm holding the next chapter hostage! Mwah ha ha! **

**No, not really. I wouldn't do that to you guys. ;o) It just does my heart good to hear from you guys and it's motivation for me to write and post more, too. **


	14. Bliss Interrupted

**Disclaimer: Still not mine... :o(**

**A/N: The good news is that I was able to put a lot of time into the first sideshot! It will be elderly Bella's POV and will be touching on a lot of subjects. Which means it'll be MUCH longer than the chapters of this story. My goal is to have it done and polished so I can post it in tandem with the last chapter of CBTM. Be sure to have me on author alerts for the sideshots. I'm tenatively calling it Come Back To Me: Extras. I know, it's not very original but I'm open to suggestions. :o) Now on to the morning after...**

**Enjoy!!**

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**Chapter 13: Bliss Interrupted**

**EPOV**

Does anybody know what day today is? _This_ day? This, ladies and gentleman, is the _best_ day of my life.

Hands. Down.

I was concerned that, being a virgin, she might have been a bit sore after this morning's love making. I even tried to be a gentleman and refuse her advances when we woke despite my obvious…erm, 'excitement' over her very naked body pressing and rubbing against mine. She, thankfully, would not be denied. We made love again …and again. And yet again. We've held each other when we slept and took turns kissing each other awake. I've told her I love her countless times. She's told me, too, whispering in my ear over and over as I drifted to sleep and in between kisses across my chest when she tried to wake me. This is where I am meant to be. _This_ is my life now. Just Bella and me. We have the rest of our lives stretching out before us to laugh and love and live, _together._ She knows it, too. It's there in her eyes. The promise of tomorrow. My heart feels swollen, pushing against the walls of my chest. It's a great feeling.

Having finally sated one hunger, we have moved onto another. We are now sitting in the middle of Bella's room and we're happily enjoying an impromptu picnic on her plush carpet -in complete and utter post-coital _bliss_. I think it's about late afternoon or early evening. Alice dropped off a tray of food for us about twenty minutes ago. _Dear, sweet Alice, I could kiss you._ I didn't even realize that we hadn't eaten all day until I opened the door to find her standing there, food in hand. Suddenly, I was starving. She didn't seem to even struggle under the heavy tray of cold chicken, fruit, cheese and assorted breads and rolls. She even brought a bottle of wine. She wasn't surprised to see me answer the door either, despite my attire. I was barefoot, wearing only my trousers and an open, untucked shirt. My hair must have been a fright, too, with Bella having spent hours running her hands through it and tugging on it. Alice just handed me the heavy laden tray, smiled, twirled about and danced down the hall back towards the elevator and lobby.

Bella reaches over and pops a grape into my mouth trailing her fingers across my lips. She is just so sexy sitting there, facing me, with her hair unbound falling in loose waves over her delicate shoulders and wearing nothing but a simple silken robe.

"Mmm," I hum my approval and take a drink of wine.

"You will marry me, won't you?" She blurts out.

I sputter and cough in shock and bring my napkin up to my mouth to keep any food or wine from escaping. I try not to laugh at that but the chuckles can't be held in.

"Edward?" she asks with a look of concern.

I cough again and clear my throat to answer. "Sure." Then I chuckle some more. _And just like that, we're engaged_.

She eyes me warily. It must be because I'm still half-laughing at her. I probably should clear this up before she sends those four boxing brothers after me…

I flash my dazzling smile at her. "I'm just laughing at the way you asked, love, that's all." I drape the cloth napkin back over my thigh and lean in to give her a quick kiss.

"Oh good," she sighs. "For one moment I thought you had a wife and children back home."

I put down my food and take both her hands in mine kissing the back of each hand. I can't help but get lost in her eyes. _I can't believe she's really mine_. I take a deep breath and sigh her name. "Bella…"

She smiles and says softly, "I want to be everything to you."

"You are, love." Keeping eye contact, I brush the hair off her shoulder and lightly massage the nape of her neck. "You are," I repeat and give her another quick kiss.

We both smile and return to our food. "Tell me more about yourself, my love."

"Well, ummm…" _Where do I begin?_

She doesn't notice my hesitation and continues with the line of questioning. "Where you born in Chicago? Do you have family there? When did you start to play the piano?"

"I-"

Excited by her new topic she rushes on. "What sort of music do you write? Anything for musicals? I've never been cast in a musical before. I would love to act in a play with your music… That is assuming I would ever _want_ to act again after last night…"

"You will." I assure her with a smile. I am already looking forward to the next time I see her shine on stage. I take advantage of her temporary silence and give her a soft lingering kiss.

"Good music," I say as we part.

She tilts her head and furrows her brow, "What?" _So. Cute._

"Good music." I wink at her over my wine. "I write good music."

Comprehension dawns and she giggles. "I never let you answer, did I?"

"No." I try and look stern but fail completely. I just can't seem to keep a smile off my face for long no matter how hard I try. She's biting her lip again. _Doesn't she know that drives me crazy?_

"What time do you think it is?" She asks as I lean closer.

"I don't know," I place a not-so-chaste kiss on her soft lips, "And I don't care." _kiss_ "I love you." I lean in for more but she pulls away with a small laugh.

"Fine, I'll look then." Coming to her knees she reaches over to my waistcoat, where it's slung across a chaise along with my jacket, and fishes out my pocket watch freeing the fob so she can sit back down with it.

She runs her tiny fingers over the engravings admiring the detail before flipping it open. _My God, I find every move she makes fascinating, _I internally sigh_._ I don't think I will ever tire of watching her. "It's six o'clock," she exclaims with a shocked smile.

I chuckle, "Really? I don't feel sleepy, somehow. Do you?"

"No," she sighs and runs the chain of the watch fob through her fingers again and again apparently lost in thought. She then looks at me tentatively and gives me a coy smile. "The first thing I intend to do for you is-"

"You've already done it," I interrupt her with a wink.

She blushes and laughs giving my shoulder a playful shove. "The _second_ thing, then."

"What's that?"

She bows her head and looks up at me through her long lashes. "Buy you a new suit?" she offers and then pops another grape in my mouth with a giggle.

I raise an eyebrow and chew. "What?!" I say jokingly indignant. "I don't understand. Nobody seems to like my suit," I huff.

"Well, can you blame them?" Bella chuckles at me from her spot on the carpet.

"Now wait just a minute." I pull my self up from the floor and stride over to the chair where my jacket and waistcoat lie. "I happen to like my suit. Just what's wrong with it?" "So what, if it's ten years old?" I pout.

"_Fifteen_ years," Bella corrects me giggling at my antics. "At least!"

"Fifteen?" I ask surprised.

"Mmhmm," all smiles, Bella hums her answer.

_I guess that antique dealer took me for a ride._ "Well… _I_ think it's fabulous," I defend it, pulling on the waistcoat without buttoning it. "Here, let me show you." I shrug into the jacket, too, smoothing down the lapels and do a quick turn to try and sell her on it. "See? It's really great. It's in first class condition. The sleeves fit, which is pretty good for me because my arms are like nine feet long. It's got pockets everywhere." I flash her the lining of the jacket really hamming it up as Bella giggles behind her hand. "Look at this. I could pull rabbits out of here. OH! And here is the best part," I explain digging out a coin to show her. "There is a little penny pocket hidden right here for emer…gen…" I trail off as I look at the coin in shock.

It's just a shiny copper penny dated 1980.

_This penny doesn't belong here…_

…_and neither do I._

Bella takes her hand from her mouth and her smile quickly fades as she looks at me furrowing her brow. "Edward?"

_No…_ I start trembling and gasping for breath. It feels like all the air is being sucked out of the room being replaced by a crushing darkness.

"Edward, what is it?" The panic is rising in her voice as she watches me go pale and begin to hyperventilate.

_No, no, no…_ I fall to my knees.

"What's wrong!?" she demands, frozen to her spot on the floor in fear.

_Bella._ I can feel the darkness closing in, coming at me from all sides. I reach my shaking hand out to Bella wanting to hold on to her, wanting to hold on to this time, but she's across the room, too far away. I can't seem to breathe but it doesn't matter because I can feel it all slipping away.

"Edward?!" Tears trail down my Bella's sweet face as she looks on in terrified confusion.

_Bella._ I can't call to her. I can't reach her. I can't touch her or hold her to me and kiss her and love her.

I can't stay with her.

All I can do is watch her fade away as the darkness consumes me completely.

"_Edwaaard…!"_

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**A/N: Who saw that coming? Remember to review and let me know what you think. :o) Reading your reviews is better than feeding a half dressed Edward grapes... well, it's a close second at least! ;o)**

**It's almost over. These last four chapters are pretty much my favs. Yup, only three more chapters to go. But at least we have the sideshots to look forward to, right? :o) I'll be posting the next chapter Wednesday... maybe sooner.**


	15. Hollow Man

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**Disclaimer: Please, take my word for it. I own nothing.**

**A/N: You guys are great! I just wanted to say a big thanks to all the reviewers out there. It's always great to hear from you. And also a thanks to everyone who has added my to their fav stories or (gasp!) fav authors! Thank you for the confidence boosts guys! All that being said, just a little heads up here... This chapter is pure angst. There's no fluff to be had here today, sorry. :o(**

**Enjoy!!**

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Chapter 14: Hollow Man

EPOV

I have to struggle to open my eyes. So, I don't because the exhaustion is weighing so heavily on me. After a few steady breaths, I roll over to my back and groan but it's weak and lacks any real conviction. The sun is pouring in from a nearby window and the light on my face demands me to open my eyes. It's less of a struggle this time.

I look around and take in my surroundings. Bile rises in the back of my throat as I see the modern décor of the hotel room and it all comes back to me. Each memory crashes over me like an unrelenting surf. The loneliness. The envy. Fleeing Chicago. The Grand. Jasper. The portrait. The obsession. The days of research. Esme and the music box. The talk with Dr. Cullen. The coin shops and the tailor. The hypnosis. Bella under the willow tree. Bella dancing within the circle of my arms. Bella on stage. Bella's smile. Bella's blush. Bella's kiss. Bella's touch. Bella's soulful eyes. Bella's whispered 'I love you's. Bella's sheer panic as she called out to me that last time. Bella's pain.

Bella.

_My Bella_.

Just a day ago we fell in love, so deep, so pure. Just an hour ago she was writhing under me and calling my name as I rocked into her again and again. Just minutes ago she giggled and popped a grape into my mouth. _I can still taste it_. And now she is gone. We didn't have enough time.

Time.

She doesn't exist in this time. She died years ago. _She died?_ The overwhelming grief comes swiftly. She's dead. My Bella is gone. I clearly remember the night she… passed . I remember the pain and grief and loneliness I saw in her watery eyes when she pressed my watch into the palm of my hand. I remember the desperation in her soft voice when she begged me to find her. I didn't understand any of it then. I couldn't comprehend why her unshed tears and desperate plea haunted me. I was lost to her decades ago. How it must have hurt her to see me again after all that time while she knew everything and I knew nothing. I understand her anguish now. My heart _aches_ so much for Bella. I have to get back to her.

With a great deal of effort, I pull myself up off of the floor with shaky limbs. Leaning heavily against the wall I make my way to the door and, as quickly as I can, I leave the modern space. I vaguely notice that the room was vacant this time, not that it matters. None of it matters. I have to get back to her.

I half stagger, half run to my room in this time and push myself through the door, thankful that I had left it unlocked. The room is still stripped of its modern pieces, the closet is still packed full of things like the wall art, television, phone and minibar. I fling myself on the bed and try to focus. I ignore the cold sweat that has my clothes clinging to my skin. I ignore the acrid taste in my mouth that is slowly replacing the sweetness of Bella's grape. I ignore the trembling of my body that is more fatigued that I have ever felt it. I ignore it all. None of it matters. I have to get back to her.

I feel the bed move erratically beneath me. I realize now that I am sobbing. I close my eyes tightly and try to speak, try to repeat the date I left Bella again and again through my pain, willing myself back to her. I know what I need to do but I can't focus. The pain of losing her has left me too raw to concentrate_. I'll never get back to her like this_. I ball my fists tightly and press them to my eyes. That's when I feel it, small and warm and hard in the palm of my hand. I open my clenched fist to see the tailor's shiny penny mocking me.

The small coin has almost no value yet it has cost me so much.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Time has little meaning for me now. Like a ghost, I haunt the hotel. This place is the only link I have to her and so I can't bear even the thought of leaving. I think I avoid everyone. I think I eat and shower and sleep. I think I took breakfast in my room once. I remember taking the lid off the breakfast tray. The pain burned through my chest so sudden at the sight of grapes on the plate. I was traumatized by _grapes_. I'd laugh if I could. I'm not really sure what's going on outside my room anymore. I can't think about all that right now. I can only think of her.

It's been days, maybe weeks since I was with her. Countless times, I have tried to go back but I can't will it to happen. The pain and shock of losing her is too close to the surface. I can't push it aside and focus like I so desperately need to. The panic I feel when I can't bring myself to concentrate only intensifies the grief. It's a vicious cycle.

I spend my nights in the tiny museum worshiping her photo silently. I had that once. That look. That smile. It was for me. _Mine._ I reach out and run my fingertips across the soft slopping curve of her collar bone. The cold glass torments me. I am so close to her but I can never reach her. The glass blocks my touch like my grief blocks my mind. She is so close but so very far away. I lay my forehead against the cool glass and my hands reach up to clutch at the wall. I just want to melt through the barrier that separates us and hold her in my arms again.

The hotel is stirring now. It's the beginning of a new day. Yet another day without Bella. I return to my room and drag the chair over to the window. I'm going to just sit here now. I will watch the sun rise over the lake. I can clearly see Bella's willow tree before me with its branches gently swaying in the light breeze coming off the water. It calms me. I will sit here and watch and remember. Then I will be calm enough to go back to her. Then I will be able to concentrate. I'll just watch and remember until I am at peace enough to make it happen again.

I remember everything. Every tiny detail of my time with Bella. Her profile as she looked over the lake, lost in thought, when I saw her the first time. The way the branches hung down swaying behind her as the breeze played with her skirt and the soft wisps of hair that framed her face. I remember Bella sitting in the rowboat, the light reflected from the water dancing on her blushing face as she smiled while I hummed her lullaby for her. I remember the softness of her lips as she responded to my kiss, her fingers combing in my hair, twisting and tugging, holding me to her. I remember Bella's moans and gasps as I mapped the hills and valleys of her body with my intrepid fingers. Her memory is all I have left of her so I will just sit here and watch the sunrise over Bella's willow. I'll just sit here and remember her. Her scent. Her blush. Her walk. Her laugh.

Her.

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**A/N: R&R!!!! So, I thought this was going to be a nice flully romance when I started... not turning out that way, is it? Please let me know what you think of the angst. Is it too much? Edward's in a bad place right now but I don't want him coming off as a melodramatic drama queen. He's pretty emo now, isn't he? Who wants to give Edward a hug? You know the poor guy needs it after all that. I'll have the next chapter posted on or by Sunday so keep a look out for it. :o)**


	16. Bringing Edward Back

**Disclaimer: Still not mine, guys.**

**A/N: Another big thanks to all the reviewers out there. As always, it's always great to hear from you. **

**Again, this is pure angst. There's no fluff to be had here either, sorry. :o( Also, don't let the chapter title fool you too much... This is all Emmett's POV.**

**Enjoy!!**

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**Chapter 15: Bringing Edward Back**

**EmPOV**

_Dammit, Edward. What the hell is going on? _I drove up here pissed at Edward for not answering my calls to his room -or any of the thousand and one messages I left on his cell. Hell, I even sent him emails even though I knew he didn't have internet access out here. I just thought that maybe he was playing up the whole brooding musician thing and taking it too far.

It would only take seven hours to drive up here; I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone. Rosie and I haven't had any real quality alone time since our little girls came along. She's a good mom and she could use a break so, I figured I'd treat her to a nice three day weekend up here. When she had heard Edward was staying here last month her face lit up like Christmas and she got all excited. Apparently, this hotel was in some chic flick she saw as a girl and she was jealous Edward was staying here. I looked the place up online and made up my mind. Two birds. One stone. I pawned the girls off on The Grandmas and whisked my wife off to Michigan.

My wife thought my idea was brilliant since our little getaway could be, for the most part, written off as a business expense since my number one client/best friend had holed himself up in such a fabulous location. Rosie wouldn't even need to be there when I kicked Edward in the ass and told him to go home. I'd just ask for his room number when we checked in and go get Rose all settled in the room. Then, when she was off at the hotel salon getting a pedicure or massage or whatever it is women do at those places, I'd beat some sense into him. Simple.

That _was _the plan… right until the old bellhop, Jasper I think he said, overhears me ask the desk clerk about Edward. The old guy is surprised Edward is still in the hotel. He believed Edward had left because he hadn't seen him in weeks, even though he thought it odd that Edward hadn't said goodbye before he left. The desk clerk tells us that Edward checked in without any departure date and, as long as the credit card clears when they run it every few days, the hotel would have had no reason for concern so, they wouldn't have bothered their guest. There's a heavy ball of anxiety forming in my gut now. None of this sounds good. Rose takes my hand and squeezes it. When I look at her, it's plain to see that she's worried now, too. Jasper makes a quick call to housekeeping and then leads Rose and me to the elevators, filling us in along the way.

The old guy is telling me that no one has seen 'Mr. Masen' in days. Maybe weeks. He had seen him though, maybe a bit more than two weeks ago or so, wandering through the lobby from some History Hall place. He didn't look too good so the old guy tried to talk to him, to ask if he was alright or if there was anything he needed. He said that 'Mr. Masen' was always so friendly but that day he seemed very withdrawn. The grief on his face was apparent so Jasper thought maybe he had received some bad news. Edward didn't really answer him; he just excused himself and retreated back to his room. _Shit, Edward. Please be OK, buddy._ I wonder if something didn't happen to Edward's Mystery Girl.

I don't understand all this; he was fine back in Chicago. Maybe a little overworked but he was so successful he could cut back easily if he wanted to. Hell, he even sounded happy the last couple times we talked, excited even. He told me he was going to stay here for a while, that he was doing some 'research'. _Research. Right, as if I'd believe that!_ What musician has to do research? It was a girl. I was sure of it. I could definitely hear it in his voice.

He sounded like me when I met my Rose.

As we step off the elevator, Jasper continues relaying what he knows, "The housekeeping staff said that he's in there. They say that he just refuses service so they don't bother him. The girl I talked to sounded worried, though. She said she was going to the manager at the end of her shift today and bring the situation to his attention." Jasper knocks as he fishes in his pocket for the key when we get to the door. I hold my breath. I'm probably squeezing Rosie's hand a bit too hard, too. I'm scared shitless about what is on the other side of that door. The hope I have that Edward is ignoring the world, blissfully tangled up in the sheets with Mystery Girl, fade fast when he doesn't answer the damn door.

After the click of the lock, Jasper holds the door open for us to enter the room. The damn thing looks stripped bare, like a prison cell. There is only an empty bed and a wingback chair over by the win… My breath leaves my body in a big whoosh. _Edward_. He _is_ there. He's just sitting in the chair staring out the damned window. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. _Thank God_.

"Edward, man, you scared the shit out of us! What the hell are you doing in here?" I ask as I stride over to the chair with Rose and Jasper trailing behind me. I'm probably a bit too loud but I'm so relieved that he's OK. When we get to the chair Rose gasps and pulls her hand free of mine to cover her mouth.

"_Jesus!"_ I say in a strangled cry. "Edward?" He's pale, _too_ pale, and his eyes are sunken in with deep dark circles underneath. His lips are dry and chapped from obvious dehydration. "He looks like he hasn't eaten in weeks…" I whisper. _He looks dead._

I stand in front of him but he looks right through me. Scared shitless all over again, I reach out two fingers and press them against the pulse point on his neck. _Please God_… "He's got a pulse," I announce. "It's too damn weak, but it's there."

I look up at Rose. My poor baby has both trembling hands pressed to her mouth and fat, silent tears are rolling down her perfect cheeks. I curse myself for bringing her here. She shouldn't have to see this. "Rosie? Baby?" I ask, trying to get her attention off of Edward.

"Oh, Em…" she whispers when she meets my gaze.

"Rose, honey, I need you to call 911 right away. Then, can you wait downstairs and meet the ambulance for me?" I implore her to be strong with my eyes.

With a sniffle she straightens her shoulders and she nods. I see her strength return and, like a flash, she turns and strides out the door with her cell phone in hand, dialing. _That's my girl._

I then turn to Jasper. He's gone pale, though he looks nowhere near as bad as Edward. He's wringing his hands and seems a bit overwhelmed with emotion. I hear him mumbling that he should have noticed sooner, that Edward was such a good man, that he should have known something was wrong when he thought Edward had left without a goodbye. Edward can't be helped until the ambulance gets here, but Jasper… I'm starting to worry about the old guy now, too. He already looks like he's got one foot in his grave and right now he's putting a lot of stress on his ticker. I gotta snap him out of it, get his mind off the guilt, before we need two ambulances.

I don't know how long Edward has been in this chair but this can't be good for his weak circulation. The ambulance will be here in a minute anyway. I just feel we need to do something. "Jasper? What do you say you help me get him to the bed? Can you grab his legs?" I ask him gently then thank him as he moves to help me. I walk behind the chair and scoop my hands behind Edward, under his arms and then lace my fingers across his chest once I have him lifted to me. Jasper takes both his ankles and follows my lead as I head over to the bed. We lay him down gently and I stand back and take a good long look at him.

"Oh, buddy, what's happened to you?" I ask his still form. His face is an expressionless mask. I'm so used to his bright grass green eyes but these eyes… These are not his eyes, they are dull and lifeless, the color of pea soup_. _His clothes are funny, too. I don't mean that they are rumpled or that they smell from him sitting in them for God-only-know-how-many days. Somehow, they just look…off. There's more coppery stubble on his chin than I have ever seen and I've known him since before puberty._ I should have come sooner. I shouldn't have waited so long to look for him. _His eyes and cheeks look even more sunken in now that he is on his back as I can just make out the shallow rise and fall of his chest. He's lost weight. A lot of weight. A man this big should not have been so easy to carry._ Why didn't you call me? _The mask fades and Edward slowly smiles. It's a small smile, but I'll take what I can get.

"Edward?" I ask excitedly. "Can you hear me, buddy? You're gonna be OK now. Rose and me are here to take you home." I take his hand in both of mine and wait for him to look at me. "Hold on, man. Stay with me, OK? Just hold on, Edward." There's a brief flash of green fire in his eyes and, I swear, his smile gets just a bit bigger. Relief washes over me and I return his grin. _Yes! He's gonna be alright._

"Mr. McCarty?" Jasper says in a hushed tone and I look over my shoulder to see him. "Sir? He's stopped breathing…"

"What…?" My head snaps back around to look at Edward. I watched and waited for the familiar rise and fall of his chest… but it doesn't come.

_No…_

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**A/N: Heart Fail, I know. Just wait and see what the next chapter brings before you send the flames, OK? :o) Did everyone like hearing from Emmett? I just love me some Emmett. ;o) This chapter was in the outline from EmPOV right from the get go. I almost pulled it out when we all decided I should write some sideshots and post it with those instead. I hope the change of POV didn't put too many of you off. :o) Lemme know what you think.**

**I am working hard on the BPOV for the sideshots. It's epic in comparison to these short little chapters and is taking a lot longer to complete. I WILL update on Wed night with the last chapter to CBTM whether or not the sideshot is finished. :o)**

**It's almost over now... One chapter to go. :sniff:**


	17. Heaven In Her Arms

**Disclaimer: Alas, none of it belongs to me. :sigh:**

**A/N: Well, here it is. I hope you enjoyed the ride. A special thanks to everyone who reviewed throughout. **

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 16: Heaven In Her Arms**

**EPOV**

I watched the sky grow bright and then dark and then bright again. Over and over as Bella's willow tree stands just off the path near the shore of the lake. Its branches shroud the memory of our first meeting as if in a protective bell jar preserving our first encounter for all time.

Time.

That word has no meaning for me anymore. Time really _is_ relative. I don't count the passing of hours, I count the memories. Each kiss. Each smile. Each word. Each touch. They play through my mind and I relive each moment, with blissful clarity, over and over again.

The seconds we spent under the willow, looking into each others eyes for the first time, with her hand touching my face, last for hours. Our first kiss lingers long in my mind. I treasure the moment I had before our lips met when I memorized every small detail of her face, her smell, her taste. The memories of her sleeping in our tangled sheets, and of our picnic on the carpet, replay on a loop again and again as I relive those moments of hope. Those memories are thick with it. They're full of hope and excitement for our future together. Living in the memories helps me to forget the pain of losing that future with her. I grieve for that the most. The loss of hope.

My eyes watch the sunrise again and again but everything stays the same. I'm still here, waiting. I can't go back to her, I know that now. I read her obituary. I know what it said. She lived a life of seclusion, like I will now. She never married, nor will I. She lived her life with just memories of our time together waiting for the day she would see me again. Now it's my turn to wait. So, I do.

_Emmett?_

He is here, in my room. I hear his voice booming over the replay in my mind. I'm sitting with Bella out on the lake and we are enjoying the stillness of the water and the quiet of the day. Emmett is there, though, in the background. He's talking softer now. I hear him say my name. I feel the world shift a moment and then come to rest again but on a different axis. The darkness I have been waiting for returns and I feel my lips pull up at the corners. It's different this time, though. It doesn't feel like it's crushing down on me as it closes in, instead it's freeing me and I feel lighter. I hear Emmett buzzing in the back of my mind but I can't make out the words. All I know is that the pain is gone. The grief is being lifted from me as the darkness finishes it's decent and I welcome it with a smile.

I open my eyes and the darkness is gone yet I still feel lighter than air. I can see Emmett now. Jasper is beside him. My friend is hunched over a prone figure lying in a bed holding their hand, clutching it to his chest. I barely have time to recognize that it's _me_ in the rumpled brown suit that is lying there when the sun from the windows draws my attention. The light slowly grows in its brilliance, in a blinding display, but it doesn't pain my eyes to look at it. The light bathes the room in a glow and washes out all color and detail. The walls, the floor, the bed …it all fades from view. I look around and all I can see is the vastness of the light. I look down at my hands and they are there, whole and hearty looking. I now notice that my suit is no longer rumpled, in fact, it's complete with buttons buttoned and in a fresh pressed state. I notice with a smile that my bowler hat is on my head. My thoughts are flying in every direction as I finger the brim of my hat and smooth down my lapels trying to figure out what all this means …when I hear a musical giggle from behind me.

_Bella._

I spin around and our eyes meet. She's here right in front of me. She is wearing a long white gown almost exactly like the one from the play and portrait; it almost seems as though the light it shining out from her. Her scent fills my head and her smile fills my heart. She reaches out a hand to me and I gladly walk closer to take it. She steps forward, closing the space between us and looks up at me. Her smile shines, her eyes sparkle and I can feel the love radiating from her as if it were a physical thing blanketing me in its warmth. I remove my bowler and bring it around to the small of her back so I can embrace her more fully. I lean down and we share a slow lingering kiss. No memory can compare to this, the real thing. I place a small flirty kiss on the tip of her nose and smile into her deep brown eyes once more. I sigh in utter contentment and brush the back of my fingers back and forth on her soft cheek. _I'm finally where I belong._

"Edward?" she asks with mischief in her eyes.

"Yes, love?" I can't contain my smile.

"We really do need to find you a new suit," she says flashing the brightest of smiles and tugs on my lapels with a giggle.

I throw my head back and laugh so hard. I feel lighter than air, like my heart has wings after having been buried under that crushing weight for so long. _This_ is heaven. Not this place, but this person. Heaven is now, holding her in my arms as we laugh and kiss and pull each other close. Together once again. Just me.

And Bella.

**THE END**

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**A/N: R&R! :o) Well, they got their HEA after all. I truely feel that Titanic 'stole' this ending from SIT. Anyone agree? LOL Hard to dismiss the similarities. A lot of people in the theaters were put out when Edward/Richard died of, basically, a broken heart. I debated on whether or not to change the ending so Edward and Bella could actually LIVE happily ever after but I decided to keep the story canon to the movie. I do still have the outline for the alternate ending. I'd be happy to write that up, too, if you guys would like it. :o) Just let me know in your reviews, OK?**

**The first of the sideshots is almost complete. It's elderly Bella's POV and it's a long one. I'm at just over six thousand words and I'm not done typing yet. That's the size of four of these lil' chapters. LOL What can I say, other than she has a lot of ground to cover? I hope to have it posted by Friday for you all to enjoy. Just another reminder to put me on author alert if you're interested. :o)**

**I made it to a whopping 105 reviews before this last chapter which tickles me pink because this is my first story and no one knows who I am. XD Plus, this story has made it onto 34 fav lists. Thanks so much for the support, everyone! And a special thanks to all my repeat reviewers, it was great seeing your names pop up again and again, and to bug2001, who managed to send some love every single chapter. ((HUGS)) to you all! :o)**


	18. Announcement

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**Hello!!!**

**This isn't so much a fakeout as it is a heads up to all you wonderful readers who put this story in your favs or on alert but didn't put me on author alert. The sideshot of elderly Bella's** **POV of the night she gave Edward the pocket watch as she reminisces about their time together and the epic love they shared…**

**Has been posted!**

**YEA!!**

**Also, many of you have expressed an interest in seeing the movie Somewhere in Time now that you've read my story. I just wanted to let you all know that it is currently on you tube. BUT you can **_**legally**_** watch it for free in it's entirety on the Internet Movie Database. Just go to IMDb[dot]com and search for Somewhere in Time. You can also view the original theatrical trailer, which I strongly recommend for everyone to do whether or not you watch the movie. The trailer will give you a very detailed look into this particular AU including the music, what the beautiful hotel looks like, and you'll get to see Edward's infamous brown suit. :o)**

**I have a request…**

**If you guys DO watch the movie, please review this A/N and let me know what you thought of the actual crossover. I'd love to get some concrit. Is there anywhere that I have room for improvement? I've been thinking of maybe doing another AU movie crossover I just need to find the right movie to mesh with Twilight. :o)**

**A big giant thanks to all you reviewers out there. I really do appreciate that you took the time to review and let me know what you liked or didn't like and your fav lines, etc. **

**THANKS!!**

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